Onward and Upward

Curiosity won. I found an out-of-the way place to park to view the action. Heights frighten me. My imagination soars to scary scenarios when I let it meander through a maze of what-ifs about stuff or people falling, so I blocked that thought path to take in the scene with awe rather than anxiety.

Two large cranes towered over the Quick Connection parking lot. One held a hook and the other steadied a platform. It could not qualify as a bucket because I could see the entire fella who stood on it. Surrounded by wire fencing not much higher than his knees, he busied himself securing a pole topper so the hook dangling from the other crane could be attached.

My vantage point - a parking space in front of US Bank - allowed me to watch with no risk of cramping my neck. As the worker in the air wrestled with the wrap to create a snug fit, there was busy-ness down below, too. One neon yellow-shirted employee recorded the sky-high action with his cell phone. The street department blocked a lane of traffic wth a city police vehicle on stand-by.

My mind raced ahead. The pole appeared to be telescopic. Would the workmen somehow release catches that would make the pole shrink for transport? What sign had the pole displayed? Concentration couldn’t conjure up any images. (A QC employee told me later that the pole supported no sign that he could recall).

Once the crane lifted the pole - it did not do any shrinking - and a hook was attached to the bottom, I realized why the log truck was on the scene. The city police took over traffic control as the logger sashayed into position. With smooth and steady operation, a duo of crane operators maneuvered the pole to a horizontal position and set it ‘softly’ between the supports on the back of that truck. After a few fun snapshots, off it went.

Popcorn and soda would have made it a perfect break. Watching big kids with big toys pull off such a daunting task called up images of little kids with little toys playing in backyard dirt piles. Not all jobs are desk jobs.

“Infuse a zest for learning, pack in curiosity…”Aldyth M. Irvine-Harrison

PS. Once upon a time the sign atop the pole read CONOCO. Local contractor Charles Baker expressed appreciation via correspondence to the city council for Police Chief Mark Rodgers and director of the street department Ronnie Griffin for their cooperation in the sign removal. The pole did not travel far on that log truck. It will be erected at the new construction site of Captain D's across Leroux Drive from Tractor Supply. If you are curious, Baker indicated that the 70' pole weighed 7,000 pounds.