( or, what 400+ million dollars buys )
Meet Cesar.
He is my right hand man. He is very happy to be working. He is the last of my employees.
Normally jobs like this have the strictest requirements as far as insurances and licenses. I guess I'm the only guy in all of the West Coast who is capable of hand making a curved gutter, and over seeing the installation.
Our work took place where the future tower is marked, about 80' below the surface of the ground.
My work took place at about the top of this structure. This is the bottom, where the scaffolding you'll see later sits.
When I showed up to do my work the whole dam is finished. Only telephones and the opening ceremony remain. Oh, and my rain gutter.
This is level three, where the gutter was mounted. This platform was erected for my work.
This is looking up from level three. This is about water level in a major flood, and the fear was that if the dam was full water might seep through the ten feet of concrete and stain the wall or damage the gate lifts.
They saw cut a line in the wall for my gutter to inset into. The fucking line was not straight and much hammering was required!
My gutter fit tight enough that a .032 thickness of metal could not be slipped behind it, but I missed the center of the circle by about two feet. The gutter tapered from 4" depth TO 6" depth on a inside radius of exactly 15'.
I had a fair amount of time to wander about the tower. These are various scenes starting with the elevator motor and water gate schematics.
We worked for days making this curved gutter by hand, a couple of nights until 8:00 pm.
Cesar has been here for 7 years, of which he has spent 5 working for me. He takes reading lessons with his three children ( who do not speak much Spanish ). Like most Mexicans I know, he never has applied for citizenship, has gone through several social security numbers, and receives various state food stamps and medical benefits for his kids. I take good care of him; notice who is wearing the one safety harness we had between us.
Meet Cesar.
He is my right hand man. He is very happy to be working. He is the last of my employees.
Normally jobs like this have the strictest requirements as far as insurances and licenses. I guess I'm the only guy in all of the West Coast who is capable of hand making a curved gutter, and over seeing the installation.
Our work took place where the future tower is marked, about 80' below the surface of the ground.
My work took place at about the top of this structure. This is the bottom, where the scaffolding you'll see later sits.
When I showed up to do my work the whole dam is finished. Only telephones and the opening ceremony remain. Oh, and my rain gutter.
This is level three, where the gutter was mounted. This platform was erected for my work.
This is looking up from level three. This is about water level in a major flood, and the fear was that if the dam was full water might seep through the ten feet of concrete and stain the wall or damage the gate lifts.
They saw cut a line in the wall for my gutter to inset into. The fucking line was not straight and much hammering was required!
My gutter fit tight enough that a .032 thickness of metal could not be slipped behind it, but I missed the center of the circle by about two feet. The gutter tapered from 4" depth TO 6" depth on a inside radius of exactly 15'.
I had a fair amount of time to wander about the tower. These are various scenes starting with the elevator motor and water gate schematics.
We worked for days making this curved gutter by hand, a couple of nights until 8:00 pm.
Cesar has been here for 7 years, of which he has spent 5 working for me. He takes reading lessons with his three children ( who do not speak much Spanish ). Like most Mexicans I know, he never has applied for citizenship, has gone through several social security numbers, and receives various state food stamps and medical benefits for his kids. I take good care of him; notice who is wearing the one safety harness we had between us.
