Hide and Seek

With a week of precipitation in the forecast, I decided to visit the tabernacle this afternoon.  I must tell you it has been a gorgeous day.  No coats in sight.  Sixty-five degrees.

Maybe not everyone knows about the change in the weather.

The construction cam caught the long nose of the concrete pump at the site again today.  Notice the blue snake on the left side of this photo.

When I arrived at 3:30, a lone cement truck was working.

The nose of the pump had worked along the east side, but I couldn't see what he'd been doing.

My search was interrupted by the brickwork.  This lower niche on the northeast tower caught my eye.

The niche above has also been cleaned out.

Both niches on the southeast tower have also been scraped clean.

All this work is fascinating to me.

I can't actually see the ground on the other side of the construction barrier, but my camera can.  I was back to looking for what the pump had been doing.  I want to point out a few things.  First, the slab the scaffolding stands on was poured just for the scaffolding.  Second, I am still interested in the enormous dirt cages on this side.  And third, out of sight on the right side of this picture is the east lift station.  I'm going to point out the other two lift stations later.  Last, I finally found some concrete.  It was in the bucket being held by the crane.

I wasn't understanding what the pump had been doing until someone kindly told me that he poured the baptismal font today, which is on the first level of the basement on the east side.  

I don't know why these men were bypassing the pump, but this was exciting to watch.

I wasn't the only one watching, either.

I am certain you have noticed my fascination with the new fountain at the end of the south lot.  The south lift station can barely be seen behind it.  

The tank has always been here.  Any sediment in the water, which is temporarily being pumped from the site, is separated out before the water goes back into Provo's storm system.

However, the pipe used to be eighteen inches lower and was a head-knocker, so the workmen raised it, creating a photogenic fountain.

It seems as though forms are constantly being built.  The forms on the right are for a wall which will be part of a stairwell to the surface from the underground garage.  The forms on the left are for a wall which will be part of the security office.

It won't be long before the forms over the west lot will completely cover this area.

These orange tension cables stretch from the far north edge of the west lot to this area, which is just past yesterday's pour.  The cables were pulled after the first pour a few weeks ago.  Before the new concrete cures, they will be pulled again.  After the next pour, they will be pulled along the edge under the green construction barrier.

Even in our warm weather, the concrete blankets are necessary to help the new concrete cure.  The opening to the emergency stairwell from the west garage is marked with green rebar.

The walls for the north mechanical building were poured Monday.  Silver cooling towers can be seen behind the concrete.  Part of this structure will be above ground when completed.

The north lift station, visible on the left, works with the other two lift stations as part of the vast drainage system on the temple site.  The underground water will not be pumped out, but will flow around the waterproofed concrete.  A contractor taught me last fall that the entire complex will be like a ship sailing on the ocean.  I will admit that I understood it better when he was drawing pictures for me.

Apparently there is a need to keep the steeple warm and dry while the shingles go on.

Hopefully, someone will get word to us about the hidden action.

I was delighted to find, as my mother would say, these volunteer flowers.  Despite the forecast, spring is coming.

Early Birds

I went to the site early this morning to watch a concrete pour.

I was dismayed upon my arrival to see the pump preparing to leave.

To my amazement, two pumps had worked all night!

The second pump was parked at the roundabout on First West.

Cement trucks lined up on First South to keep him busy.

I will confess that I love watching concrete pours.

For one thing, the sounds are very different in the early morning hours than they are during the day.

Other workmen stayed busy, too.  This man was cutting forms over the generator room.

I know you are still curious about the work on the south side.  The yellow crane had moved there to be out of the way.

I was happy to spy a ladder at work inside.  We are seeing one of the catwalks behind him.

The crane was still sleeping.

The concrete pump poured parts of this wall on the north side of the west lot yesterday.

I promise to go back later this week during the day so we can watch the brick work.

At the rate the scaffolding is growing around the steeple, we can look forward to exciting work there, too.

South Side Snooping

I made a quick trip to the site today but came home with a lot of pictures.  I'm not sure how that happened.

The scaffolding around the steeple is rising.

According to the construction cam, the concrete pump worked all night long.

By the time I arrived, much of the work was covered up.  Fortunately, an area of interest is still visible, the cinder block wall at the base of the southwest tower.

There are stairs in front of that wall.  Going down, they lead to the lowest level of the basement.  Coming up, they lead to the doorway barely visible in the center of this picture.  Look carefully and you'll see another doorway farther left.

These two doorways lead to the mechanical shop.  On the far left of this picture is the rebar for a pillar.  Just to the right of it is a stick of rebar which marks where the south wall of the stairwell will be.

I took this picture Monday.  The two doorways were not yet hidden behind the wood form for the west staircase to the ground level.

There is definitely a space I can't explain between the cinder block wall and the base of the southwest tower.  It's the width of a column, so my guess is the roof for the underground garage will rest there.  Someone will politely correct me if I'm wrong.  Notice the area east of the cinder block wall, with the horizontal steel beams at ground level.

I spied a welder working there.  He's standing over an area we have watched for months.

The steel will support a slight addition to the original footprint of the tabernacle.  This area will be where children waiting to be sealed to their parents can be cared for.  The vertical opening covered with plastic will be part of a hall to these rooms.  These beams are over the stairwell which leads down to lower level 2.

Perhaps this photo from August 29th will be helpful.  The wooden stairs going over the concrete wall on the left of this picture enabled workmen to get down to an opening in the foundation out of our sight.

I hunted for a picture of this opening, and found it in a post on August 26th.  It is doubtful any of us will ever see this lowest level, which will house a small laundry.

I had to carefully study my pictures from today, plus my notes from my visit to see the city plans last summer, to make sure I had this correct.  The shorter green rebar is on the south side of the stairwell.

A concrete square is just south of the stairwell.  I hope someone tells us what it's for.

There will be two patron entrances to the temple.  The lower one, currently with wooden doors, is the entrance we will use from the underground parking garage.  Directly above it will be an entrance at ground level.

Workmen are also busy on the east side of the south entrance.  Forms are being built there for the staircase to ground level.

Just as there is a little extension on the west side of the entrance from the original footprint, there is also a bump-out on the east side.  That area can be seen on the right side of this photograph.  This area will be part of the baptistry.  I learned the font will be poured very soon, but no word on when the oxen will arrive.

I asked my engineer husband about these circles in the wall, which will be part of the underground foyer.

He says they are holes for electrical conduit.  Concrete will be poured around them.

It's good to see so much progress in this area.

Before the pump left the site, he poured a large square area in front of the black crane, who is slowly getting pushed off the lot.  You remember that the hole on the left is for the elevator in the pavilion.

Forms continue to spread over the west side.

The forms don't yet cover the west entrance to the underground garage.  The concrete there is new.  Notice the crane on the far right.

The same crane is on the left.  Most of the area we are looking at will include the underground entrance from First West, some parking, and the mechanical shop.  The form on the right is part of the west stairwell to the surface.  The mountains in the distance are west of Utah Lake.

When this area is completed, visitors will be able to stroll to the many downtown restaurants from the temple gardens.

This part of the west lot can't be poured until the rebar and cables are in place.  The trenches will actually be beams for the parking garage.  This same type of construction will continue in the south lot.

Some of the east-west cables have been secured in the trenches.

This thick concrete wall along the south side of the west lot will be part of the support for the garage roof.  Steel supports for roof forms are being placed.  You can see an opening in the green construction barrier.  I didn't create it, but I use it.

Beams are being placed over the generator rooms at the far northwest corner of the site.

The north side has been completely covered with plastic sheeting for almost two weeks.  I don't think the brick repointing has started yet.

Mr. Crane helped inspectors tour the east side.

Perhaps they were admiring the brick restoration.

My camera loves watching this.

It looks like most of the mortar had been removed.

The dust leaves the brick a light pink, but it's only temporary.

Look closely and you'll see the workmen.

The line of demarcation is pretty clear.

Gorgeous day, gorgeous temple.