Windows!

Windows for the steeple tower were delivered today.

But my trip to the site didn't go as planned.

It took much longer than I anticipated for the crane to be ready.  Even the red ladder had to help.
The windows are stacked in the background.

While I waited, I walked around the block and checked out the temple's minions.

We are looking at the west doorway into the pavilion, which will be flanked with windows.

I will confess that I was a little impatient.  I took a picture of the machines working the dirt.

It was hard to believe it was 50 degrees and the end of October.
You are seeing the gablet box in the west gable.  It took me a few minutes, but I finally saw it, too.

It went up right before my eyes.

Well, it was in the process of going up.

I watched the roofers for awhile.  We aren't going to see them much longer.

For the record, I was not the only one who was impatient.

I wasn't worried that I was going to miss anything.  I kept a close eye on the crane.

Walkways were poured this week for the north gardens.

I am absolutely positive this is going to beautiful.

The concrete blankets aren't here because it was 50 degrees today.
They were placed because it dropped to 33 degrees last night.

Someday we won't be hampered by construction fences and we'll be able to use this walkway, which I hadn't noticed before.

You are wondering why the crane at the south lot wasn't hanging the windows.  I can only say that he was very busy when I walked along Second South.  He has been lugging supports for the underground garage roof off the lot.  They are being loaded onto huge trucks and carried away.

If you look closely, you will see other people waiting for the show to start, maybe more patient than I was.

Finally, the crane had himself all together enough to get to work.

I checked out the knot, one I learned in the previous century as a den leader: A window-triple-hitchcock.

It seemed to hold well.

I asked why half the window is missing.
If it were in place, the crane would have had a difficult time lifting the window.

No worries.  The lower parts of the windows are on site and will be installed soon.

Would you like to hear some of the things I learned today?

The font is being lined with stone. 

Quartzitic sandstone now covers the underground entrance wall.

Stone is also being placed along the underground entrance to the pavilion.

Beautifully milled woodwork is being installed in the lower level. 

The oxen haven't arrived yet.

There is an arch-counting contest going on inside the temple.  No winners yet; they haven't counted them all.

Only seven windows will be installed in the steeple.  The eighth is a door, on the southwest side.

The tower windows will be delivered next week.  Yay.

Painters are hurrying to complete the steeple base.  When the scaffolding comes down, the roofers can finish.

These eight openings are all exactly the same size, designed according to the architects' plans.

The rest of the temple window opeinings were all individually made by the pioneers, and are all just a little different.

A laser scanned these openings and the windows will fit exactly right.

I peeked at the construction cam as I uploaded my pictures.  I think the windows are in.

I fear my favorite stone now has some serious competition.

Walkways, Driveways and The Pavilion

The crane is going to become an invisible man for Halloween.  As in, adios.

The driveway, however, is going to turn into an entrance.  Maybe not by Halloween, but soon.

So much to see today.

Walkways are appearing in the north lot.  I took this picture from Center Street, facing southeast.

The walkway in the picture above is this walkway running across the bottom of the picture.

This walkway begins at the intersection of Center Street and University Avenue.

A third walkway leads directly from Center Street to the north planter.

My camera spied some posts inside the green construction barrier along University.

When the barrier goes away, the posts will remain.

A new concrete walkway now orbits the large planter in the north lot, seen in this view from Friday's cam.
Windows in the president's office are lit on the right.

The smaller north planter has been holding piles of dirt for quite awhile.

New white trim is now being placed along the gables.

The south gable has soffit and fascia board.

And a gablet! Look at the bolt along the ridge of the gablet.

The bolt, disguised in this picture, is attached to a grounding cable, inside.  The gablets are wood, so they aren't grounded.  But a lightning rod will be attached to the gablets to ground the gables.

The south lot is always busy, and today was no exception.

The fountain has lost his forms, but that doesn't mean he won't receive more concrete.  There are still a few more layers which need to be poured.  The concrete will ultimately be finished with stone.

The south lot has two stairwells.  One can be seen on the left, covered in plastic.  Forms are rising above a new planter between the stairwell and the fountain.

Forms for a second planter rise on the east.

Stairs under the plastic covers are being formed on top of heavy-duty geofoam.  Heat tape will keep ice and snow from freezing on the stairs. 

All of a sudden, the pavilion seems to be coming to life.

We are seeing framing for windows and doors.

There will be three glass doors at ground level: East, north, and on this west side.

Brian Olsen labeled a photo from the construction cam to help us better understand.

There will not be a door on the south side of the pavilion.  Stairs rise from below the pavilion and come up on this side of the elevator shaft, which is in the center of this picture.
The base has been poured for the planter this side of the pavilion.  

The area around the pavilion received the waterproofing membrane today.  The mat which directs the flow of water on top of this layer can be seen across the top portion of this picture.

Geofoam is slowly covering the south lot.

These men moved the geofoam quite easily.  This large block likely weighs about 130 pounds.  Some is lighter, but some of the geofoam blocks, mostly used underground, can weigh up to 500 pounds.

This is a picture of progress:  Scaffolding which came from the steeple tower.

With the scaffolding disappearing, my camera was able to get some good views of the steeple openings.

The tower is painted.  The scaffolding is coming down so windows can be delivered.  I'm told this will happen soon, via a crane we'll be able to see from the cam.  I fear my idea of soon and the crane's idea might be different, but let's hope for the best.

Painters are still at work on the steeple base.

When I saw the steeple this morning from the cam, I tried to visualize art glass.  I smiled, too.  The bright lights on the right aided the concrete pump as it poured walkways on the west side.

The workman on the right is facing one of the new walks.  The little machine and a buddy were working hard, spreading dirt everywhere.  Notice the corral on the left.

The stairs in this emergency stairwell have been poured.  I believe a small building will cover this.

Planters, the pavilion, trim, gablets, so much to see.

And, of course, the sky was gorgeous, too.