A Mix of Fun and Work

Dear Family & Friends,

Farrell writing this week …These weeks seem to go by very quickly -- except for Kitty's absence on this end while she is enjoying a sweet new grandson. How happy I am that she is able to do that. Can't wait to see him, his mother, and others at Christmas.

Mount Redoubt

Mt. Redoubt (one of the three close volcanos -- 75 miles) from my dinner spot with ward members last night (not my picture, but exactly what it looked like).

Things have shifted gears a bit up here with the coming of winter. There is less to keep track of because there are only four sub-contractors on site. There is always something new and interesting on the construction end. This week it was the arrival of the iron workers. They hang structural steel. This is a very small project for them -- no high rise sky scrapers. That doesn't slow down their skill and athleticism. They are equipped with a safety harness, two big clips (like carabiners), big belt bags (for bolts and nuts), and three or four spud wrenches. A spud wrench is like an adjustable crescent wrench but has a pointed handle. The point is used for lining up holes for bolt insertion.

Tools of the trade.

All of these tools jangle when they walk. You can always tell when an iron worker is coming. They hang up to five steel beams spaced out along the crane cable at one time. They swing them over the destination, lower the first one, the ironworker grabs it and swiftly (and I mean swiftly) locates one end at a hanger plate and then signals the crane to lower it more to put the other end in place. Both workers start putting bolts in. The first one to secure two bolts will holler "two in" quickly followed by the other end yelling the same thing. "Two in" is short and abbreviated making it hard to understand. I had to listen several times before I figured out what they were saying. As soon as that is done, one of the workers immediately steps out on the just hung beam, swings a safety cable around it, clips it to his harness and moves to the other end. The picture here is not ours -- just to give you the idea. Our steel is a bit smaller.

Steel workers from internet.

They drop the next beam down and repeat. While the crane swings back to pick up more, they put the rest of the bolts in. Speaking of the crane operator -- what skill! It is like he is connected to the guys securing the steel. They constantly flash hand signs to him. I already knew some of the signals but find there are about 10 they use regularly. They are not big grandiose moves but just subtle moves. You can tell I really enjoyed the show. I'm clicking pictures at the same time. The smaller of the two workers was built like a brick. He was all over that steel. He is from Hawaii. His partner is from Honduras. I asked the latter what in the world he was doing in cold Alaska. He replied, "I don't like to sweat". Hard workers -- don't know how in the world their knees hold out. One has a sweatshirt with the logo "Blood, Sweat, Steel". There is a lot more of that to come. The object is to put steel decking down with concrete poured on top. That will make the winter roof. This drone picture was taken on 11/9 and is from from https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/anchorage-alaska-temple/photographs/

Anchorage Alaska Temple progress.

We wondered what would happen in the Visitors' Center when the weather cooled off and kids went back to school. Now we know. It is very quiet. When someone discovers us, they go back to their ward and tell everyone and then we get a fresh crop of visitors. We do have it in their ward bulletins but apparently no one reads those :-). We have developed some friends that bounce back to visit every few weeks. They come from all over Alaska. Some of them I have to ask, "and just how did you get here?" It is not uncommon to hear the tale of a four hour boat ride, followed by hours of driving. Flying is also typical. One of the young missionaries was on transfer today and was flying to Soldotna (2 1/2 hrs.) by car. I think it was just easier than shuttling him that direction. He had a guitar case with guitar which is sometimes allowed. I had the privilege of signing the case. It was covered in other missionary signatures. I love the visits from the kids -- easy to talk to. Any introvert tendencies I have had are pretty much gone. Kitty has to cut me off when she thinks I have gone on too long.

These blogs are never complete without a weather report. It is what everyone talks about. Quite pleasant the last two weeks -- dry (for the most part) and mild -- mid-30's for daytime temperatures. That won't last. The forecast is for low 20's in the day and low teens at night. It might take me awhile to warm up from this Alaska experience. A heating pad has become a good friend. And yes, I have been wearing a coat for weeks now. Like last year, I'm getting used to the low sun on the horizon. The highest sun elevation at the moment is at about 1pm. If you put your hand out at arms length, the sun is at about the width of your hand, 11 degrees above the horizon. It is like you are driving into a low sunset with the sun shining through your windshield most times of the day.

Everyone take care.

Love you all. Kitty gets back Wed. night late. We have been working together occasionally while she has been gone. She took her computer and we share files in the cloud. #Think Celestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger