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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

10/23/11 - The Roof is On

You can hardly convince a man of an error in a lifetime, but must content yourself with the reflection that the progress of science is slow. If he is not convinced, his grandchildren may be.
Henry David Thoreau - A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers - 1849 


The roof is on and the cab, to the lay observer, appears complete.  Put in the glass that will protect the contents from the elements and you have a watch tower from which you can easily see "the sun rise up out of the sea." (A Walk to Wachusett.) 

And today I witnessed one of the most beautiful sun rises that I have ever seen on the mount.  A bank of clouds sat far to the east "behind" Boston.  As the sun rose closer and closer to the horizon, the clouds were outlined in a golden brilliance as if it were the New Jerusalem far out in the heavens.  It was most striking.  Nearer and closer to touch is the earthly profile of Boston.



The New Jerusalem ... Boston Sunrise
I, along with two other observers, strangers to me, watched in complete silence at 7:09 am as the suns rays pierced the sky and reached our eyes far to the west, about 45 miles from the Hub.


The most obvious change today, from two weeks ago is that the cab is almost complete.  One can now get a real sense of the final visual appearance of the structure.  Work to be done now will be the final touches externally such as the completion of the facade rock wall, the railings about the observation tower, the ramp walkway, the final touches on the cab, and of course, the landscaping.  Things are rounding into final form.  But, workers were once again on site at 7:30 am (Sunday)!  They must really be pushing before snowfall!


Sun Bathing the Eastern Face of the Towers
Cab Detail
Now that we are almost complete, I still have not notices any stairway for access to the cab!  It would seem that a hole in the deck floor would be appropriate at some time in the near future.

Eastern Wall
 On the eastern wall, you notice the "holes" in the facade of the rocks.  I wondered about that and so I emailed the stone mason himself.  According to James "Mick" Litterio, of Litterio Landscaping Inc., he left the "holes" there for placement of the handrails when that hardware comes on-site and into position.


Litterio Landscape of Clinton, Massachusetts - Stone Masons and Landscape Architects

The Always Photographed NE Corner

Twin Towers

Crow's Nest
Notice the feet of this "cage."  They are angled in such a way that the cage will sit on top of the tower cap. It will be used for communications equipment.  As you can see in the picture two frames up, of the old tower, there are several antennas placed about the framework.

Old Glory at Sunrise

Ramp on Western Wall


Western Wall
Almost to the top of the observation platform with the facade.
Southern Wall
No door in site yet!  And from below, you can see that the roof is not yet installed.  Light still shines through the uppermost wall in the back of the interior.


Southern Wall with Doorway and interior Compartment

View towards Worcester at Sunrise


Towers in Tandem ... Soon to be but ONE!

Almost Grown-up Turkey Family at the Base of the Mountain
Be careful boys!!  Thanksgiving is coming soon.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

10/08/11 - Saturday Work - Schedule is Behind

Poetry — No definition of poetry is adequate unless it be poetry itself. ... You might as well think to go in pursuit of the rainbow, and embrace it on the next hill, as to embrace the whole of poetry even in thought. 
 January 26, 1840 
Friends  — They are like air bubbles on water, hastening to flow together.  
January 6, 1840
Henry David Thoreau - Journal
Crepuscular rays in sprinkler spray at a park in France., photo Georges Noblet

 Surprise, surprise ... the workers are on the summit this morning!!  My thought was that progress must be behind schedule ... and I was correct in my thinking.  I spoke to one of the workers before they became seriously engaged with the work of the day, and he confirmed my thought.  He also said they want to get the cab and the observation deck completed by the end of the month, but even that is a stretch.  Bad weather and shorter periods of daylight are slowing progress.  This morning we faced a beautiful sunrise and a perfectly clear sky.  While windy and quite chilly, especially high up on the tower platform where they are now concentrating their efforts, we might say "cold."  The temperature this morning at 7am was in the high 40's.

A few weeks ago, I reported that a park ranger said they wanted to get the road open for Columbus Day.  Well ... that time is now and they have met their goal.  The road is open today - it may have been open earlier this week.  Mission Accomplished.

I also learned that the crane was how the box was placed inside the Base envelope.  So, while I thought a helicopter might have been utilized, it appears that it is not the case.

Cone at Up-Summit Road on approach on Mt. House Trail
 I knew the road would be open today as I spied a red cone at the crosswalk on Mt. House Trail and Up Summit Road.  The cone was placed as a warning for motorists to watch for pedestrians.  With no motorized traffic, it has not been necessary for several months; now it would serve as a warning as cars, trucks and motorcycles reached the top.

Crosswalk Cones on Mt. House Trail
 There are also present, some 4 x 4s; evidently a sign of some type is going to be placed.  They have been there for a couple of weeks now.

The Cab Gets a Roof



  The gate was open so I took a few steps inside to get a bit closer, but not so much as to extract a call from the workers.  Soon enough, we will all be allowed inside.

Joists for the Cupola go into Place.

Preparing for the Work Day
 Notice the sky showing through the interior of the base ... still no roof!

Gassing up the Crane
 
Cage of the crane
 I did notice that all workers who were sent to the top, were fit with safety harnesses and observation told me that they made sure that they were safely clipped on before the lift went into the air.  One can also notice the presence of hard hats and plenty of cold weather wear.  As I mentioned above, it is cold up there on top with the wind blowing.
Preparing for Lift-Off

Crane Fully Extended to the Top

Cage at the Top Depositing Lumber
 From this picture, looking up, the deck of the cab appears to be of plywood while the roof appears to be of the planks.  I still don't know where all that Brazilian and Baltimore teak went!  ???
Detail of Cab Flooring
 
Lumber Transfer

Cupola Construction
 High above the ground, work continues on the cab.  It appears as if it will be a
Crane Extended to the "Summit"

Lift in Operation
 Assuming that the workers in the cage are about 6' tall, I estimate that the tower will be about 55 - 60' high and sit at Latitude: 42-29-20, Longitude: 72-53-12 The present tower is 68' high and sits at Latitude: 42-29-20, Longitude: 72-53-14.  The top room of the Summit House Hotel was used as a fire watch tower; it was approximately 50' high.  The Summit House rested approximately 15 yards north of the new tower.  It was at Latitude: 42-29-22, Longitude: 72-53-12.
The Old NW Corner ... No Change

Western Wall

NW Wall with Old Glory
 Signage has been placed for this weekend, now that visitors are allowed.  One sign was a welcoming sign indicating that the road is open only on weekends; another indicated that entry inside the fence would be considered Trespassing.
North Facing Wall

Lumber Yard - Plywood

Eastern Wall



Crane Lifting Workers to the Cab

And so, the work continues.  We will see if they make the end of the month schedule. Come visit next week and see the continued progress.





Saturday, October 1, 2011

10/1/11 - Fogbound Summit

You must love the crust of the earth on which you dwell more than the sweet crust of any bread or cake; you must be able to extract nutriment out of a sand heap. 
Henry David Thoreau - Journal - January 25, 1858

And so on this very damp and foggy morning, we too, extract nutriment out of a sand heap.  Or at least we make the attempt - and at least for the attempt, we feel better.
An early morning ascent before the rains arrived was my plan, and that part worked well.   What didn't work out was the clouds and the fog.  A 6:30 am run up a wet Mountain House Trail left me wet and muddy from a fall in the dim light.  But, I continued up the trail and into the fog.  

The rain held off, but the thick soupy fog only intensified.  Pictures were "foggy" at best.  It was almost impossible.  So foggy were the images, that I took some close range pictures to be sure my camera was still functioning. 
Close-up picture to check camera.
As for progress on the summit, there is not much more to be said for the road and the parking facilities.  That is complete.  The Fire Tower with Observation Platform however has more work yet to go.  
In spite of the relatively good weather this past week, a visual does not give one the impression that much has progressed.  However, through the fog, I observed a few things on the work:  
  • The "lumber yard" has but two planks remaining from the bundles marked "Brazil" and "Baltimore."  There are other bundles, but that wood went somewhere! 
Lumber Yard - absent Brazil Teak

Wood Deck in place?
 
Deck Planks on the Observation Deck
  •    The supports for the ramp now wrap completely around the corners of the base building whereas last week, there were voids at the corners. 
Ramp Joists Warp Around Corners
Joists on the SW corner and Wood Deck just along the edge of the south face of the Observation Deck
  • I was able to peer through the doorway on the south side to see sky light coming from above.  So, whatever wood has been laid on top of the observation deck, it is not completely covered.  Due to the angle of this picture, one can also see how the joists for the ramp are fully extended around the corners especially to the right hand side of the picture where the ramp ends and pedestrians will be on the observation deck.
Light from Inside the Base
  •  The top level of the Fire Tower has had joists (I assume steel I-beams) placed for the flooring of the cab.  It is difficult to see, but it certainly appears to be the joists.
View of Tower Cab Floor Joists

This picture almost looks like the backside of the tower is the shadow of the front side, but obviously the shadow effect is caused by the thick fog.
Lift Vehicle Still on the Summit
There is more work to do on top, so ... the Lift equipment remains.  I am sure rental of such equipment is not cheap.  They want to get this over with as soon as possible!

My camera is still working at the end of the visit!  Time and exposure create growth on a fallen tree beside the trail.
Nutriment from the Sand Heap
Fallen leaves on the trail mark the beginning of Autumn.

Next week?  more progress and better pictures.  Don't forget ... "nutriment from the sand heap!"  Have a good week.