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When I started my retirement travels in 2009, I wanted a way to share it with family and friends as it was happening. Hence, "My Travel Journal". However I realized I wouldn't always be on a trip and wondered what to do with the blog in between times. My daughter pointed out, wisely, that travels can also include trips to the kitchen to try a new recipe, trips to visit family, trips to my neighborhood Starbucks, or a fun day trip with a friend. You're welcome to join me on any of these journeys! I've set up individual pages for each of my major trips (see tabs above).

Also, I have an Etsy shop where my current needlework resides. The last pieces I posted here were in 2013! So if you'd like to see what I have accomplished recently, go to (and I apologize for having to copy and paste):

www.etsy.com/shop/thedollhouseneedle

I recently added an "Italian Word a Day" thingie which shows up at the bottom of every page. You see the word and can click to hear it pronounced. I've been enjoying it and I think my accent is improving as time goes by.

September 24, 2012

New signs going up!

Last summer I posted lots of pictures of the bank sign being taken down off the top of our 12-story building after the bank had moved their offices to another location.  (Here's the link to the two posts I did at the time.

Well, it's just a year and a couple of months later and during that time, the building has become a fully owned condominium with businesses on the first 5 floors (owned by the businesses) and apartments on the remaining floors.  A new bank bought the old banks couple of floors and the business part of it was all done by last December.  But they only just moved in two or three weeks ago and now today (and probably at least tomorrow), the new sign is being installed on top of the building.  So, I thought it only fitting to memorialize that also...plus which I just love watching it all.

Won't do any videos this year (at least I don't think I will) and figure I'll just take a couple of pictures every one or two hours as the day progresses.  I'll post them to this post (rather than several individual ones) so if you happen across this blog and would like to watch some of the progress, just check back periodically or wait a couple of days and it will probably be finished. :)So, with all that said, here we go!

These first two were taken at 9:00 this morning.  I think that blue cabbed truck probably is carrying the signage.  All the rest are extensions for the crane and the crane itself which they're setting up in this picture. 


An hour or so later, the crane is up and without falling out my window I could even see to the very top of it!



 And I was right - on my next check, they're unloading the blue cab truck and it looks like framework for the sign pieces.  Will be interesting to see what their design is.  The old bank had a red and white sign that was a real eye-catcher from around town.  This bank's colors are blue and white but I imagine that high up, the signage will still be "important".

And this one is just because it is an absolutely incredibly beautiful day today!  The river doesn't show up real well in the picture but just follow the road towards the back of the picture and when you see reflections of the little white houses, that's the mighty Ohio.
And now, it's about 8:00 p.m., everyone has gone home, I made myself a tasty fried rice with some chicken, pork, bacon and egg, then decided I needed a Tropical Moon frozen yogurt for dessert and now just have a few more pictures for today.  As far as I can tell, about all they did today was get that blue cab truck totally unloaded and up to the roof - they may have done some work up there also.  I went up once around 1:00 or so when they were just starting to haul things up and then didn't get up there again.  But the blue cab truck is gone as are all the other flatbed trucks except for the one in this picture.  And tomorrow apparently they bring in a second huge crane and start attaching the sign to the building.

So here are the rest of the Monday pictures - first one is just cause I love the river, it was a 100% perfect day, and I forget sometimes how great the view is from the roof!

Here they've just hauled one section of framework up and are releasing it from the crane.

and here's another section going up...
 and up.  And if you're wondering, I haven't fooled with the color on these pictures at all - the sky was that color!
Tomorrow should be exciting because that's when they hope to get some of the sign attached to the building.  There was a very pleasant lady on the roof when I went up - she was with the sign company and I'd be really curious to know what her job was cause she was just over on the deck part where I was watching the activity.  Safety helmet and bright yellow safety vest, but very nicely dressed and made up.  I wondered if maybe she's a safety officer or something and just monitors the job.  Anyway, more pics tomorrow.  Brenda and I are going to have lunch at Backyard Pizza (fast becoming one of my favorite eateries except for the fact that they're insanely busy) and I told her I'd entertain her by taking her up on the roof! :)

TUESDAY, 9/25 - Here are the first pictures for this morning.  I heard some banging around about 9:00 this morning and went to take a look.  The second crane has arrived with numerous flatbed trucks carrying its extensions.  It's now 11:00 and they still working at getting all the extensions hooked up.  The first crane lifts the extensions and gets them situated correctly.  That's what Sesame Street would call "cooperation", right? :)  Oh, and the first picture here is just one I took walking home yesterday evening cause it was a nice shot of the crane from the ground to above the roof.


On the left, the second crane set up and stabilized, with various attending flatbeds visible.  On the right, the first crane at the right of the picture and it sure seems bigger to me.  But I think the woman yesterday told me that this second crane can go higher, so maybe it needs to be smaller for a lighter weight or something?



And here you can see where an extension is hanging from the cable of the first crane while the men work at hooking it up.  Given the fact that it's after 11 o'clock now, I don't imagine it will be heading up to the roof until after their lunch break at the earliest.

It's a totally grey and cool day today but as long as it doesn't storm, I imagine the guys working on the roof won't mind at all that it's not bright sunshine.  And we've been blessed with so many beautiful days, I'm not going to complain either.  In fact, I might just go buy my first chuck roast, some potatoes and carrots and get a pot roast in the oven in the next day or two.

Stay tuned for more progress reports - am eager to see the new signage...

6:00 p.m. - It started raining and got quite windy around 12:30 which has slowed things down a little, but I talked to the woman I saw yesterday (who it turns out is executive vice president of the signage company) and she said they're hoping to get all three signs attached this evening.  Which I think would mean dismantling and moving out all the equipment tomorrow.  Sad to say it's been interesting but not as exciting as last year's removal.  They're putting one very large sign on the three most visible sides of the elevator block on top of the building which means they're working where I can't really see much of what they're doing.  They're not putting anything on the side that faces our rooftop deck.  But I still really enjoy watching the cranes - I just find them amazing. So here are my pictures up til now...

This is their sign - there will be one on each of the three sides of the building.  At night the dark area will be lit and will show up blue.
 
 The one above and the one below were taken around 5:30 and they were carrying a couple of men up to the roof.
I'm going to go see if I can see what they're doing but I don't think I'll be able to.  That picture of the sign above is the only sign I would have been able to see them working on and I missed that.

WEDNESDAY, 9/26 - They got an early start this morning because they plan to be finished by tonight and discovered yesterday that they would need to move one of the cranes to get the sign on the far side of the building attached.  So they worked on moving it for about 45 minutes and then while I was at the dentist(!) got the sign on the front side installed.  Right now, they are working on installing the sign on the far side and I finally was able to get pics of the men in the cage with the sign above them.  They weren't doing a whole lot while I was out taking pictures - I suppose making sure everything was the way it was supposed to be, etc.

Here are my pictures from this morning...

This was after they were finished moving the second crane and I just took it cause I love those cranes!  And also it shows the sign that was installed on the front side, giving a good idea of how high up this project is.

This is a shot of the front side from Fifth Avenue - one of the two main streets through downtown Huntington.  And below is one from up on the roof.  They've taken up the sign for the far side (the right side in this picture) of the building I suppose to do some kind of work on it and then will have to hoist it up higher to swing it around to that wall.

Took this one to give an idea of how high up they are.  I know this type of work gets done on buildings that are a lot higher but I'm still impressed. :)

And really zoomed in for this blurry one but would never have noticed that man peering over the roof edge if I hadn't!

And one more for good measure...
I'll probably wait until dark and then get a picture of them when they're lit up.  For right now, it's 12:30, my dentist appointment was at 9:30 and I'm still numb from my throat up to above my eye on the side of my face!

Well, this is the last report...and I've added a little note on each picture figuring that will keep me from getting too verbose.  But first I'll say I'm pretty darned impressed with the people who did this job.  They started around 7:30 this morning and finished right around 7:00 p.m. tonight and the dismantling and packing up started around 1:00 or so and watching them I realized what really hard labor that is. I would think they would be bone tired by the time they stop for the night. And one other thing - I was taking pictures of each truck, crane, etc., turning the corner as they drove away and I took two shots of the last two which was the first crane to arrive on the job site and one flatbed truck.  I especially wanted to get the picture of that one is why I took two and they sure aren't on my camera so I don't know what happened.  But here's a selection of what was on my camera:









And then should have come the picture of the big crane leaving (sigh...) and finally this final picture:

All I had was my cell phone but my camera probably wouldn't do a whole lot better since it is very bright white against a dark grey sky (not bright blue).  And I have to say - it's fine but I liked the other bank's signage better.  The blue on these signs isn't as noticeable as I thought it would be.  Hope the bank really likes it though - I can't imagine what it and the installation must have cost!

Good night all!

8 comments:

Chinch said...

What fun pictures! I'll keep checking in and wish I was there to see it also. I took pictures of the man delivering our pallet of bricks -- not quite the same drama!! If the woman is there again today why don't you ask her what her job is? Maybe she makes sure that no one claims injuries that didn't happen. We're having beautiful skies too, such a great time of year.

Christopher said...

Such pretty weather for a bit of street entertainment out your window! Will be curious to see the final installed sign, after all those years of the earlier red one!

Chinch said...

That crane at 5:30 going straight up in the air is wondrous to behold. Does it make you wonder how they got the 1st 3rd signs up there years ago? I wouldn't think they'd had such sophisticated equipment but maybe it wasn't really all that many years ago and somehow cathedrals got built centuries ago so what's to wonder -- just shut up and enjoy, huh? xoxo

Christopher said...

You'll have to try for a dusk shot, perhaps, once the "blue area" is illuminated...!

Christopher said...

Great update photos! Sorry to hear about the novocain!

Diane Adams said...

Amazing photos MaryLynn. You're right though, the colors on the signs is a little anti-climatic.

Christopher said...

What a project! Yet so efficient, it seems. The blue at night does seem rather subdued---but given how much bold red was part of the older signage (including that red stripe that wrapped around the whole building) it would be hard to compete ;) I actually like that they didn't put a blue stripe around the building, too.

January said...

It feels just like I was there with you! :)

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