I've been busy!

I've been moving around alot lately at work, which is pretty fun. Several weeks ago, I was back down at the Cleveland Zoo working on their high voltage cables again. Here, Jose is beginning a trench to connect the newly installed HV box with an existing HV box. I posted this picture just for my nephew, David, who likes trucks!

Here's a shot of the trench, with the conduit in it. We still have to go back and set the conduits on spacers, which, oddly enough, keep the conduits evenly spaced in the trench, and slightly raised up from the trench floor. Then we cover the pipes with loose gravel, lay a marker tape down the length of the trench, and backfill the trench. The marker tape is metallic, so it can be found with a metal detector next time someone needs to dig a trench near our buried conduits.


Dan da Man is testing the HV cables. The 2"x4" studs were covered with a tarp to make a tent, so I could complete the HV terminations regardless of the weather.

After this job, I went to the crane job in the previous post. Then I went to the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center. That was a fun job to visit! I got to see many electricians I hadn't seen in awhile, including two guys I went to trade school with. I got to meet some new wiremen, and I got to work for a young man who used to be my apprentice. It made me feel good to see him doing well in the trade. I didn't bring my camera to that job because I wasn't sure I'd be able to take pictures since it's nearing the end of the job and the big push is on to "get 'er done". Sometimes I can sneak a few minutes in to take some pictures, and sometimes not. I did see some fine workmanship on that job. Huge banks of pipe running in all directions. Kicked 90's. Paralleled offsets. Matched couplings! Yeah, I know. I'm a geek.

Then, last Monday, I got a real nice treat. I was sent back downtown to work with my old friend, Peeps, on the bridge lighting. This was taken on the roof of Shooters. That's Bascule No. 1 bridge directly behind him, which is lit up at night by the lighting system we maintain. In the background, one can see the Willow avenue bridge.

Right across from Shooters is my favorite bridge. NS1. It's also called the Iron Curtain, or the Conrail Bridge. I'm guessing boaters call it the Iron Curtain the most.


I just checked out the Shooter's gallery. Lots of babes hang out there! Roger Loecy, the owner, bought us lunch one day. We both got the Shooter's Burger with fries. That was one fat, juicy, delicious chunk of Black Angus, I'm telling you.


The boss is checking his blueprints to see what circuit he needs to turn off so we can change a couple of ballasts in the light fixtures. I thought it made a cool picture.


See, I don't spend all my time taking pictures! I actually do work too. I've changed the lamp, and now I'm cleaning the lens. Mostly, we find dead bugs clouding up the lens. Often we'll find the beginnings of a bird nest, but once those lamps are energized, they get hot fast. I've never found a complete bird's nest.



If you're wondering, I bought an extra chin to work, you know, in case I lost one. It was a sunny day, but a bit cool still, and breezy near the river. Hence the extra layers of clothes.


I think steel and rivets make for extremely cool photographs. Peeps took some excellent pictures, despite the fact that I'm in them. I often wonder if I'll ever find a dead body down in one of these holes we work in.


I got to climb to the top of the Willow bridge today. Here's a view of Cleveland's skyline. The sun poked out just long enough for me to snap this picture.

I've got one more day working on the bridges, then I'm headed for New York! My boy Grady Sizemore is back in action, but Bill tells me that A-rod is on the DL. I would have liked to see him play. You know, strike out a few times. Bill calculated that, last year, A-rod was paid $33,000 each at bat. I'm quite looking forward to this trip. If I can, I'll post updates from Bill's house. If not, I'll post something when I get home.