Shop 9: Serious Progress

Saturday was a very productive day. Dad came and helped and we got lots done. I built an A-frame to bolt to the bucket of the track loader to increase the reach and height. We set all of the vertical steel members. We had to go around and do some shimming to get the veritcals plumb. We installed a couple of the girts to stabalize things and hold everything in alignment. The last thing we did was put up an endwall rafter thingy. We just had enough lift height to get it up there. It was a little tense workling 16 feet in the air with a come-along, spud bar and bolt-nut-washer.

I have to tweak the A-frame to get more height before the main truss spans can be installed. It is pretty exciting to see it come together. Daylight and weather are chasing me now. DMP

Shop 8

The big hauling day was Tuesday. My Uncle Greg provided truck and trailer for the days work. This is the big load. It was pretty heavy and ended up to far back on the trailer so it was a sketchy pull. We used the TD9 track loader to unload the materials.

The youngest lad and I put up three posts. This week in the evening we will put up all of the verticals and some girts so we will be ready to set the trusses. It is all pretty exciting. I need a tall forklift or boom truck to set the iron right. I'll make do the farmer way. Wish me luck. DMP

Oxy-Mo

I stopped at a stop-light on the way home yesterday and there was a pretty nice Jeep stopped in front of me. I started looking it over and noticed they had a personalized license plate. It said, "BRETHN." So I am thinking to myself that is pretty cool a Jeep and breathin'. You could have the top down and cruise around enjoying the sunshine. About then I notice frequent clouds of blue smoke billowing out the driver's open window. After 3 or 4 of these cigarette produced clouds, the driver flicks the still burning butt out the window into the street. So much for breathin'... DMP