October 22 - Shingling and Shingling

Blogging Remotely -

I was out of town for a long weekend checking up on relatives in far off Michigan and was not able to be on site to see and record the work that transpired. The most noteworthy thing about my absence may be that there was less lunch consumed Saturday noon time. I was not on hand to take pictures and see the action for myself, but Eric sent some pictures and I have my imagination to fill in the action. So what you get is an accurate report of what I might have seen had I been there. This arrangement makes me think of two guys in a horse suit with Eric being the head with the eyes and me being, well, whatever would be trailing behind the head.
Paul (I think) is getting into position to apply roofing and Eric, a mere shadow of the person I remember, is the figure on the right. I would not have taken a picture like this. Not that it is not a worthy blog photo but because I would not be on the roof without being enclosed in the lift cage.

Shingles Are Happening -

Roofing shingles are small. Each one only covers a few square inches and then they are lapped so the new one covers a good chunk of the one on the previous row. The roof is big, seemingly acres of bare plywood.

To cover the whole roof takes many shingles and even more nails. Each nail is pounded or shot in with the nail gun. I am reminded of the response from a son when he was a little tyke. Mom asked him why he had not picked up all the toys as he was asked. His reply, "Because it's a big job and it takes too long."
Shingling a big roof is a big job and takes a long time.

I am impressed with this picture. To see our little mobile fork lift extend himself in this way to deliver shingles to the roof is certainly an uplifting experience. Up and up the arm (nose? trunk?) goes, reaching further and further up into the blue. That arm just goes on and on, all the way to the very peak of the building. I do not want to be a doubter about his abilities, but I did not see it in him.

Oh the street lights. The brightly glowing illumination devices that allow toil and shingling to go on deep into the night. These noble street lights, formerly earthbound and downcast have now attained an elevated position. No longer do they stand in the dirt and dust of the earth. They have attained a loftier position in the construction society, having been raised both by the estimation of the workers and by the lifts. With the new constant voltage stream delivered by our friendly neighborhood power company, the illumination is consistently bright, not dimming with the use of a saw or a shortage of gasoline. Ah these fine street lights - no longer are they the dim bulbs of the construction site.
The Break Room -
The dear old break room, the plastic covered, PVC pipe structured break room has now completed its designated mission in life. I photographed its last moments a week ago as it lay on its back, with limbs all akimbo, as if afflicted with rigor mortis. Though it resisted the inevitable mightily, it nevertheless succumbed to the onslaught. It served faithfully and well, but was not quite up to the stresses imposed by man and weather, even with copious applications of duct tape.



Now, a sturdier break room exists, one with concrete reinforced walls, smooth floor and shingle covered plywood roof. While it still lacks facilities for keeping out high wind, rain will not hinder its use. It is a right impressive break room, complete with wooden table and guest chairs. No doubt it is also suitable for sophisticated Saturday lunches.

How Long, How Long?
I heard that Sam reported the roof is three eighths complete. A report of this nature is encouraging. It gives people a sense of progress and a feel that there is an eventual end towards which we now labor.

Someone asked Bob a week ago if the project is ahead, behind or on schedule. He said simply, "Right on schedule." I was reminded of a statement from a guy I worked with years ago. He was a software guy and a highly skilled technician. He groaned about management continually asking him for project updates and questions about when the project will be finished. What is the schedule, they demanded. He would wistfully smile and with eyes looking skyward reply,"The schedule exists. We mortals make guesses about it, but we really do not know what it is. We just struggle along and over the course of the project, the schedule is revealed."