Monday After Conference Weekend

Another lovely morning graced the site today.  The white crane is gone for good, though.

The crane stood on the huge white box on the left.  I think we can all agree that he spent a very productive year at the site.  The box is filled with concrete.  Somehow it will go away.

It is quite thrilling to see Moroni.

We are all pretty much in agreement about that.

I've been learning about Moroni and the lightning rod.   Not unrelated, have you seen the two videos of Moroni's arrival?  At first glance it appears that Moroni was trailing a coiled rope.

This photo from a blog reader shows the rope, which is actually a copper cable.  It ultimately connects to copper rods buried in the earth, which of course is why it's called a ground wire.  In 2009, the new Moroni on top of the Oquirrh Mountain temple was struck by lightening, so the need for the ground wire is not just an obscure safety code.  That Moroni was replaced pretty quickly.

My camera spied a new opening in the white sheeting on the front of the tabernacle.  When I got home, I could see that the new cove edge of the north gable is being created.

Cove edges are also being built on the west gable.

Only the gables and towers have the cove edge, not the other parts of the roof.

This photo of the original tabernacle shows the straight roof edges along with the cove roofs on the five towers and the gables.  The design of the new temple will replicate the tabernacle as much as possible.

There was a lot going on this morning, which made the site very noisy.  I took a picture of this new delivery area.  The sidewalk along University Avenue runs north through the center of this picture.  The green construction fence abuts the curb.  However, this space is large enough that a delivery truck can back along the sidewalk.

A helpful blog reader took this picture last week so you would believe me.

The steeple has become a new area of focus for us temple watchers.

Another blog reader asked me about the snow guards.

These are designed to break up snow so it doesn't slide off the steeple in a large or dangerous chunk.

Another blog reader reminded me that there will be art glass in the steeple windows.

I took a picture of the artist's rending on the construction fence. This banner has been through a long and muddy winter, but it is still useful enough to confirm that our friend is correct.

I took another picture of the fountain on the banner.  Two weeks ago  I wondered about two different fountains on two different banners.  The designer of this 3-D model indicates that the old-fashioned fountain will be built.

Building the forms and laying the tension cables at the south entrance is a massive job.

I am curious about this open area on the east side.  I will keep an eye on it if nothing gets in the way.

The forms for the roof of the underground parking garage keep spreading south.  Notice the black forms in the lower center.

A rebar lattice is being constructed several feet away from the wooden retaining wall.

Assuming you would be interested, I took several pictures.  Remember that my camera flattens things out, so the dirt on the right is north of this rebar lattice.

It looks like this wall will bend east and end up next to the retaining wall.

Right now the wall appears to be equal in position with the edge of the anterior room of the pavilion.  I don't know if that means anything or not.

Green rebar is barely staying ahead of the forms.  You can also see the new slab of concrete which was poured last week on the west side.

The black crane is working hard to keep his job.  He's the one lugging this bundle of supports.

The red block belongs to the black crane.  He's moving rebar in this photo.

Cable trenches on the left are ready to be placed in the form work at the entrance.

Concrete pillars are springing out of the ground like soldiers from dragon's teeth.

Supports and more cable trenches are waiting in the south lot to be put to use.

Walls of the mechanical building are rising out of the west lot.

I have wondered if cinder blocks are being used because the concrete pump can't reach this far.

These are the two new cranes at the site.

They may not be majestic, but they will get the job done.

I took a detour this morning and went by the current Provo Temple, catching Moroni as the sun rose over the mountains.  I am beyond thrilled that we have two angels in Provo.

The birds are different on the Provo Temple grounds, not to mention there is grass.

But spring is coming to both temples.