Nails, Blocks and Mud

Upon arriving at the site today, a little voice from above sent me a message.  Actually, it was a gruff voice, and he told me that the legs on the red block are stands to hold it up if it ever needs to be on the ground, answering a question which arose from Monday's post.  In this picture you are seeing the patriotic block from the black crane and the red block from the white crane.

A blog reader asked me about the nails above the ledge on the east side which he had noticed in my last post.  My camera took a lot of closeups of the brick today, and this is the only place I could find them.  The keystone has a hook protruding from it.  My best guess is these are related to Christmas decorations.

While scouring the exterior in vain for protruding nails, I found this expert on ledges, but she offered no help.

Mama Track Hoe and her baby were digging on the east side, making tremendous amounts of noise.

I watched the dump truck empty several loads of dirt from the east side near the new entrance so I'm guessing that foundations for the two east towers will soon begin.

The west side piers are being cut away.  This view from the cam was snatched Monday night.

Mr. Fork Lift carried a dead pier from the west side.  I applauded.

It appears the ladders are nervous about the tabernacle standing on its own.  Are you wondering about the concrete cylinder on the left?  So am I.

Micropiles are now all over the south lot.  This is a system just past the reach of my understanding.  I know these are tension piles and will hold the floor of the parking garage down so the aquifer can't push it up.  The green rebar is part of it.  The mud is temporary.

You don't have to look very carefully to see clusters of micropiles.  If you recall, the post office, on the other side of the wooden barrier wall on the right, occupies half the block between the tabernacle and Second South, which is across the upper quarter of this photo.  The latest official word is that the LDS Church and the U.S. Government are in negotiations over the post office property.

I found myself giving a pointing tour of the property to some onlookers.  Do you need a refresher course?  You are looking at two entrances to the future temple.  One will be below ground, from the parking garage.  If you look through that entrance, you can see forms on the northern wall of the future annex.  Patrons will be able to walk through that lower level to the annex.  There will also be an entrance at ground level.  The ground level will house the temple president's office on the west, a chapel in the center, and two instruction rooms on the east.  Patrons will reach a larger instruction room by using stairwells in the two east towers. The Celestial room will be in the center of the upper level along with five sealing rooms. 

A new slab is underway in the north lot.  The forms on the far right were used to pour the northern wall of the annex but are still there because it is efficient storage.  You can see the west lot past the tabernacle, where a mechanical access tunnel is being built near the concrete cylinder.  Farther west you can see green rebar being placed in advance of another concrete pour.

I spied a red ladder helping out in the shade of the southwest tower.  I learned that the curved braces were cut with broad axes and saws by the pioneers.  This tower stood alone at the work station.

The other three towers, apparently all repaired, await the next step.