Niche #16 and Other Distractions

My camera, in fine form today, spied Niche #16 on the southwest tower.

I've been curious about the gables since my visit last week.  Did you watch the construction cam Tuesday?  Men worked at several of the gables, and they even built a shelter so they could work in yesterday's gully washer.

Today, the apex of the north gable looked like this.  No peg, no strings, no safety cables.  I wondered what the other gables would look like.

I'm still hung up on the good news that the fence is missing from the west side wall.

The west side looks like a glacier field.  The blocks seem to move willy-nilly under their own volition.

Although that's not the case at all.

My camera took a picture of the west gable.  Did the peg from  last week move?  I spied a nearby workman and asked.  He went so far as to look at the picture in my camera.  He said, and this is an exact quote, "Oh, that's just something for somebody to do something."  I believe that's construction speak for
"These aren't the droids you're looking for."

Being momentarily distracted, I looked elsewhere and saw new action on the steeple deck.

Something new under the Christmas Tree.

How good are you at spacial relations?

Can we all agree that these are parts for the exterior of the steeple tower?

And we can watch this action from the cam!

I did  not forget about the gables.  This is the slate and flashing on the north gable.

The south gable is covered with scaffolding, but my camera managed to get this picture.  Notice a tiny bit of exposed copper flashing at the apex.  You might be noticing little hooks holding the slate.  Just because my camera can see it doesn't mean I can explain it.

When I got to the south end of the lot, I balanced my camera on the construction fence and zoomed in.  There's that sensor, even though a workman told me no one measures the building anymore.  Safety cables, just like the north gable had last week.  Slate over the copper flashing. No wooden peg, though. 

If I zoom back a bit, maybe we will understand better.

I'm pretty sure they are working on the slate.

I zoomed back some more.

I'm a big believer in the value of perspective.

My camera hasn't moved from its spot on the fence.

We could forget all about the gable and look at the south lot.  Or Mt. Timp.

You are as easily distracted as I am.

Could I interest you in the fill between the east side of the garage and the wooden barrier wall?

Or how about the south entrance to the garage?

The only bad news for me today is that forms are going up along the post office lot, one of my favorite watching spots.  It's actually the favorite watching spot for many, many people.  If it doesn't go higher, my camera can still show us stuff, like Niche #16, revisited.  I could see a mason working on the arch over the southwest tower door.

I love watching the masons.  He's building the arch over a template in the doorway.

I tried to learn about the missing door jambs.  This doorway is at the base of the northeast tower.

A blog reader sent me this photo of the southeast door after the fire.  The jambs were original to the building, over a century old.

The wood was brittle, obviously old, and layers upon layers of paint were holding the the jambs together.  They could not be saved.  Big, collective sigh.  None of the art glass could be saved, either, although it did not meet the temple standard.  New art glass is being crafted by a local artisan.

This is the southeast doorway today.  I was not distracted, but I did notice the foundation.

The wood is new from two weeks ago, as is the caulk and black something.

Generally, my pictures are pretty quiet, but it was awfully noisy when I took this photo.  Someone was sawing stone, not a silent endeavor.

Sandstone is in place to go along the watercourse.

I tried to get a picture of the watercourse on this side, but big stuff is in the way.

I asked, since you are curious, if workmen can use the stairwells.  There are no stairs inside them yet, if that answers the question.

The fountain is already a work of art.  What we are not seeing are two concentric circles around an octagon.  The forms are slowly rising as levels of concrete are poured.  A water-mat layer is being placed around the fountain in preparation for geofoam, which is still a ways off.

The north lot is a jumble in progress.

Machines are pulling up old concrete.

Even if it hides behind the new planter, the machines find it.

Concrete was poured around the gate posts at the large planter.

The walkway will be enclosed within a wrought iron fence. 

The windows have been covered with plastic, maybe because of our recent rains, maybe not.  The plastic is on almost all of the windows on all sides.  The soffit and fascia boards on the side walls look complete.

This is the trim in progress on the northwest tower.

Ultimately, all four towers will have trim like this.

If you live in Provo, you know summer is on its way out, but downtown still has flowers.