Moving a mountain

Any day we move a major piece is always exciting. The question is whether we finally made a piece too heavy for the equipment we have on hand or too large to fit where we need it to go. This morning my client arrived with his truck to hook up the trailer and set off down the road. Before we hit the road we stopped to check things over one last time and also snap a few pictures.

Then we were off and heading down the road. Traffic was light, the weather good. We kept speeds down to 50 kph (30 mph) as this load was heavy. The trailer towed well without any sway on the winding mountain road. We were barely under legal height. We only had to travel about ten miles.

It wasn't long until we had traveled the level road and then we turned up the steep hill to the park. All along the way heads turned and people stared. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

We arrived safe and sound, after carefully navigating the bumpy road into the site. Then it was time to hook up the zoom boom. The operator gingerly lifted the giant piece and everyone breathed a sign of relief as it easily lifted off the trailer.

He then gingerly and slowly drove the hundred yards or so to the tight portion where we had to squeeze through some trees and line up for the final placement on the edge of the bumper boat pool. Slow and easy was the name of this game.

Then it was time to spin it around and raise it up one last time to clear the conduits and piping.

We signalled the operator to lower the piece to it's final resting place. The feature had arrived without a scratch. From the time we hooked up the truck in our driveway until touchdown at the edge of the pool had taken a little more than one hour in total. It is always a good thing when things go as uneventful as this move.

I headed back to the shop to continue work on the next pieces that would make the journey. Stay tuned for more excitement.

-grampa dan

One mountain - to go

The crew pulled out the stops one more time as they covered the 'dirt banks' of the light house base with concrete. The basic mudding was done by a lunch time. After lunch we finished smoothing things down and applied the texture coat. One of the largest pieces we have ever trailered is now ready to go to the site. It will be installed tomorrrow. It's massive!

I can hardly wait to see the piece roll down the driveway and be set in it's permanent home. 

Tomorrow is the day for the first piece to go onsite!

-grampa dan

Rockin!

I am blessed with a wonderful, hard working crew. Our days are filled with lots of laughs and joking. Simply put, the crew cares for each other and it shows the whole day through. Tasks are shared, jobs sometimes switched to make sure everyone does the less liked duties. They do it without even being asked.

Today, we had some big goals to accomplish. Despite the cool temperatures this morning they suited up and worked hard to attach the diamond lath to the structure. It's a tough job with warm hands, miserable when it is cold. Before we broke for lunch we had realized our first goal and it was time to lift the lighthouse mountain into the trailer. After a safety talk on heavy lifts everyone donned their hard hats and the exciting job of lifting the piece onto the trailer began.

After lunch we had another safety meeting about operating our concrete paddle mixer. Then it was fired up and the mudding began. Today's second goal was to apply and carve the tree and rocks. It was ambitious. I had to leave for a little more than an hour in the mid afternoon to set the post bases in the freshly poured concrete up at the work site. 

When I got back from my task up at the lake the crew had made great progress. Together we worked on each portion. Jenessa did an awesome job with the carving of the tree while everyone else worked on the many rocks and also carved the wood grain into the massive timbers on the big sign face.

The sun was quickly setting and our normal quitting time rolled by. Each of the crew stayed on for a little overtime, peeling off as they needed to. TJ and I stayed the longest to make sure the rocks were smooth and the cleanup done. The giant piece seemed to grow even larger as it slowly morphed from see-through mesh to a solid form.

Tomorrow we'll finish off the concrete and then apply the needed texture. Friday morning the huge piece is to be transported up to the lake and installed. It will be a landmark day!

Stay tuned...

-grampa dan