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March 28 - April 3 Well, we had a beautiful weekend but Monday brought back the wind and rain.
A work crew from Parlin Forks hunkered down and dug a trench for the new phone line to the Lighthouse. Meanwhile we prepare the Watch Room for receiving the Lantern by installing new metal tie down straps and new angle iron braces. Current thinking is that Thursday will be "Lift Off" day if the weather improves. Tuesday. Another day of rain and high wind. We second coat finish paint on the roof of the Lantern and the Parapet and listen to the weather reports. We are ready to remove the roof of the temporary shed and the covering on the Watch Room roof but the rain continues.
Wednesday morning we arrive to find that our scaffold had blown over during the night. Oh boy! But, the storm seems to be over and the weather is clearing.
Soon we have the scaffold sorted out, set back up and start taking the sheeting off of the roof and then the rafters. By the end of the day we are ready. The crane is scheduled for tomorrow. Wouldn't you know it... April Fool's Day!! We head home in nervous anticipation and face a sleepless night.
6:00am April 1st. Can you believe it? A clear, calm, cold morning. A Blue Moon setting over the Lighthouse.
Soon the crane arrives and lifts off the ridge beam and rafter assembly of the temporary shed and sits it down in the left foreground. Then it lifts off the temporary flat roof over the Watch Room. Then the hook is centered over the Lantern and the cables attached to the deck plates of the Lantern.
9:15 am. Slowly the Lantern starts rising up out of the temporary shed. Fingers are crossed.
"Here she comes!"
All is silent except for the roar of the diesel engine of the crane.
A real cliff hanger!
And then. Suddenly it is over. The Lantern is safely back on top of the Lighthouse! No cracked windows! The Lantern door still works! Perfect!
We all stand back in amazement and take in a most wondrous view. The crane has lifted the ridge beam and rafter assembly back onto the temporary shed. Soon the roof sheeting will be put back on and the building used as a work area during the restoration of the exterior of the Lighthouse.
After five months of looking at the inside walls of the temporary shed it is very refreshing to have a change! These are the views from the Lantern room looking Northwest towards the Pacific and East towards the Light Keeper houses. My! My! Friday we put up the wall boards in the Watch Room over the tie down bolts to the Lantern and installed the "half wall" in the Watch Room. Saturday, Stefan and I are heading off for a week of Spring Break in the desert with our partners and our friends Ed and Suzanne. Yep, it's time for a break. We will be back April 12th for wrap-up work. Doing the odds and ends. Stay tuned. |
