Stand back everyone the Doubter has arrived. He has come to raise columns, all eight over as few days as possible. Doubter says he staying for two weeks before he heads back home to the land of air conditioner. When he leaves the taking the Kid with him, too.

Week One:
First thing he did upon arrival was attempt to fix a cutting torch the Planner was gifted from a friend. Several weeks ago when the Planner attempted to use the cutting torch it kept “blowing out”. Don’t really know what that means but that is what the phone conversation with the Doubter kept revolving around. Between the two they decided the “head” was faulty even though brand new and a second one was purchased from the next town over late Wednesday afternoon. Swapped it on and away they went.

With the torch working, attachment plates were cut from the channel the Planner cleaned several weeks ago. The Doubter cut out the sections, the Planner outlined them, the Doubter cut into shapes, and the Planner ground clean. Two sets of eight. One with an exact size hole another with an oval allowing for movement room when attaching. The exact gets welded on to the box, the oval onto the column.

Next the Planner welded the attachment plates into place and the Doubter would switch out a new column and stack the modified column back onto the concrete pad in nice neat piles.

Week Two:
Sunday the Doubter said he needed a day of rest. So he worked on the tractor building a ramp up to the concrete pad while the Planner prepped the end bed plates ensuring they were free of rust and concrete. Have I ever mentioned that the Doubter is a whiz on the tractor. It is living, breathing art form.

Monday metal saw horses were brought out of the Shop Box, columns were stacked according to location on the pad, and preparations were made. A monstrous telephone pole was dug out of the junk pile for the Doubter to take home. After a bicker fest on how to cut it, how to carry it, how to do anything, everybody went their separate ways.

Tuesday started off on the wrong foot. How to pick up the column where it would not learn too far to the left or right or swing back and forth turned out to a little harder than anticipated. During the conversations on the phone in the weeks prior to the Doubter coming down it was assumed a large ratchet strap wrapped around the column and picked up with the tractor would work fine. The ratchet strap can be wrapped in such a way the pickup off the ground causes the strap to tighten onto itself. This strap had pockets for such such uses. What was not taken into accountability was the height needed to lift the column off the ground while not swinging backwards into the tractor. When the strap failed to pick up the column safely a leftover chunk of rebar was used through the hole in the column at the predetermined height and then placed between four extra large C-clamps on the tractor forks. This turned out to be even easy than the strap method.

With column #1 ready on the tractor, the slow arduous process of climbing up the ramp began. Slow and steady as a snail. Once on the pad, they were several Austin Power moves to get the tractor as close to the edge of the pad as comfortably possible and into place at the Shop Box. Then problem 473 arose. How was the Planner going to weld the top attachment point when then tractor was being used to secure the column in place?

Planner: Hey, run to the next town over to the big box store and pick up a scaffold.
Me: Sure, it is not like I am working or anything.
Planner: Oh, while there pick up a burger for all of us.
Me: Work can wait.

Turns out I can easily be bought with a burger and a 44oz unsweet tea which I sat in the lobby and drank one in its entirety before coming home with burgers for every one else. While I was gone, the top attachment point was hauled up a ladder and tacked into place. All welds were just tacks for the time being with the Planner coming back to fully weld later. Welding is something he can do when the Doubter has returned home. Raising columns on the other hand, not so much.

By the time the third column was raised Thursday afternoon a finalized lifting system had been developed. One that could be done with a singular person on the ground and one on the tractor. Same process as the first column but with better refinement and ease of use. A saw horse and 4″x4″ plywood to lift off from while the saw horse was pulled out from under the column.

Friday at dusk, two more columns had been placed in their final locations making the Work Shop side complete. Columns in a line standing tall and straight in the setting sun was a beautiful sight. Even column shadows make for a beautiful sight.

Saturday by 10:10am, all eight columns were standing and tacked onto base plates and attachment points. The Planner was hot and tired, the Doubter was already getting antsy about his travels home, and the Kid was leery of two weeks without his phone.

Week Three:
Turned out to a perfect time for the Doubter to return home as the rains came barreling back through. It was dark and spooky rains with thunder and lightening and green ominous clouds.

Week Four:
Between week three and four the Planner welded every column to the base plate, every attachment point to the adjoining box.

This was done in the early mornings and in the late afternoons. Summer suns are just too brutal to weld at noon unless it is an emergency.

Of course the Planner also had to weld around work requirements and frequent rain showers. But for the most part he had to weld in temperatures in the upper 90s with winds howling in the mid 20s. Both making for very difficult welding conditions.

Ten days time and the Planner was done. Done hauling welding leads across the pad and loosing good ground. Done climbing up and down scaffolding. Done being bent over with the sun baking his back. Just done. The Planner needs a vacation.