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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Masons, Yoda and a Tuscan Raider

I made my first visit to the site very early this morning.
Moroni doesn't need the sun to shine.
The lights at night are really beautiful.
If you are a dedicated construction cam watcher, you might have noticed masons arriving in the wee hours to beat the heat.
Several masons think this is a brilliant idea.
The pavilion was stunning at this early hour.
I was delighted to see the jamb for the south entrance at the site.
The new sign on the east side can be read day or night.
The refurbished brick almost seems to have texture.
I still love the windows.  And the niches.
I did not plan to take pictures of the windows.
Fortunately, the construction fence works very well as a tripod to hold my camera still.
The mason's lamp illuminated this beautiful window and niche.
I left the temple site and drove a few blocks to see the balloon festival.  Lying on the ground is an enormous balloon, without the hot air.
A Tuscan Raider came to help.
Yoda kept an eye on him.
Fire makes events just a little more exciting.
My camera got close, but I didn't.
I don't normally use the word surreal, but that's what this was.
This was way more fun than I expected.
The entire field seemed to rise at once.
As the balloons rose, they caught the sun behind the mountains.
The pig is a favorite for many.
After I left, he had an accident.  I believe everyone is ok.
I returned to the site, delighted to see a few balloons drifting my way.
The guys in white pants were sanding the new fence at Second South.
I saw new city lights along this street.
A post in the north lot appears to be ready to go up.
This walk has received a makeover this year.  The crosswise-parked trailer was filled with plants.
The grass now has lots of company.
These men were tweaking the sprinkler system to keep everything alive in our 100-degree temperatures.
Trees moved into place.
New lilies soaked up the morning sun.
Men decided to work on the north doorjamb again.
They are determined to make a perfect fit.
I was unaware that they were preparing to remove it again.
I was too busy hoping they'd step aside so I could peek in.
The new west sign now has black lettering.
This is wonderful.
One of these mornings, I'm going to show up and find more sod.
I don't know how long I'll have to wait for water in the fountain.
The man on the lift is repairing the holes the scaffolding left in the brick.
I don't know if the team working on the north jamb is the same one working on the south jamb.
I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Plywood blocking the temporary door in the steeple was open this morning.
My camera knew exactly what to do. I was surprised to see a red ladder in the steeple.
New fence is chasing new sidewalk down University Avenue.
Two new beehives are now part of the east side.
This mason made quite a bit of progress in three hours.
Masons in the south lot received a delivery of granite for the baptistery.  This came from China. 
Carpenters are still installing scrollwork on the pavilion.

I have one last picture to show you.  Our friend Lee Cowan took this last week at the southwest entrance.  He and his father, Dr. Richard Cowan, have written a new book titled Provo's Two Temples. The manuscript is now at the publisher's.

I almost can't wait for my next trip!

4 comments:

Easy_Going_Dad said...

I heard the pig balloon ascended too fast and its top collided with the basket of another balloon above it, which ripped open the fabric and let the hot air escape. It then had to burn its burner full blast during the entire descent to try and control the balloon from hitting the ground too fast, and the heat ignited the balloon fabric as well as gave the pilot a burn on his skin somewhere. It ended up in a tree, but no one was seriously injured, except for the pig.

The temple is so close to being finished I can almost taste it! Which isn't helping my plight. Frustrating.

Julie Markham said...

I'm sure that was way too much drama for the pig and his driver!

Katshrnk said...

Hope they can fix the pig. Also like the staircase and the night pictures. It's so beautiful. Glad you are doing this so we can watch the progress from Nauvoo.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous in every detail!