We spent the morning stuffing a fifty-three foot trailer with all of the features and signs bound for NEBs in Oshawa, Ontario. Everything was palletized and carefully organized for the job. The last load into the trailer was the pallet of signs and pillars for the side walls. Next week the NEBs crew will do the reverse and then begin the challenging task of doing the assembly. We look forward to seeing the results soon!
SUMMER!
Today at 9:24 PM local time marks the summer solstice. This is the longest day of the year and the beginning of the summer season. I've been waiting (almost patiently). We've already had a couple of stretches of warm weather which I have thoroughly enjoyed. My favourite way to enjoy a warm summer day is to take the top off the jeep and go for a drive.
Through the spring and summer months I watch the local weather forecast like a hawk. When the weatherman forecasts three days of sunshine in a row the top comes off. The good news is that the weatherman is currently forecasting ten days of glorious sunshine. The top is off and the half doors are mounted. It's time to enjoy a drive!
Time to pack!
We've all had the challenge of packing for a vacation. The idea is to get as much stuff into as small a suitcase as possible. Packing a fifty-three foot semi-trailer is much the same - only on a much bigger scale.
An important part of what we do is design ways to move, load and transport the pieces we build. We design safe and sturdy ways to do this while we are still in the design phase. With the next large delivery to NEBs now days away the work has shifted from production to getting ready for shipping. The six pub signs were mounted to custom designed, oversized steel pallet. This same welded stand will carry the backs of the massive posts which will act as further ballast to keep everything upright for the 5,000 kilometre journey. The posts are mounted in pars on other custom built pallets. Ten concrete arches will also make the journey mounted back to back in pairs. A loading plan was carefully designed to fill the trailer in such a fashion as things slide in and out easily but don't wiggle on the way there. It is one more fun and challenging aspect of our job.
