The Week of June 4, 2018 — Two Years This Week

Around 6:30 AM, two years ago this week (June 07, 2016), I walked through the Anderson Street construction gate for the first time. I had been given permission by Loma Linda University and McCarthy Construction to document the construction of the new Children’s and Adult Hospitals. Before I could snap my first “official” photograph, I was instructed to attend a safety meeting before I could wander around the site. The meeting included a recitation of  McCarthy’s safety rules, a gory (as in very graphic if the safety rules are not followed) movie (which caused a few anxious moments for some in attendance), a test, and some final dos and don’ts. Once dismissed, I headed toward the center of the site not really knowing what to expect. For several weeks, I had photographed the site from the perimeter of the site while looking over the construction fence. Now, I was on the inside. I could now experience and photograph, up close and personal , the construction of the hospitals. As I walked the grade and snapped a few photos, I wondered what was ahead. The only reference, I had was the large artist rendering that had been posted at the Anderson Street entrance.

From June 07, 2016 to June 07, 2018

What a Difference Two-Years Make

This photo, which was also selected as the feature photo for this post, was one of the first that I took on the day of the Safety Meeting. Notice that the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and the Medical Center dominate the eastern landscape. Having watched the current buildings being built over the years, I did my best, that day, to imagine what the skyline would look like in a few years.

Two years into the project (calculated by my first date on the construction site), the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and the Medical Center no longer dominate the eastern landscape. Very soon, the steel columns, girders, and beams will obliterate, as seen from this vantage point, the hospitals in the background. Once the project is completed including the landscaping, it could be that only a sliver (southeast corner below the arrow) of the current Children’s Hospital may be visible from this spot–only time will tell.

O, the Toll This Job Takes on the Body, Coveralls, Shoes, and Yes, my Brother, Even the Very Souls Soles of the Men Who Ply Their Trade to This Project!

He Ain’t injured, nor is he dead. After a hasty lunch, Martin finds comfort, wherever he may be at the time, in a little shut-eye. Notice, the ingenuity of our friend: He uses his lunch cooler for a foot rest, his handkerchief to block the light and protect his eyes, and for a pillow, he uses his hardhat appropriately positioned to provide the optimum support for his neck. Life can’t get better than that.

Just a few feet (no pun intended) away, to the left, Patrick finds solace, while Martin slumbers, in surfing the net or texting. Whatever he is doing, it is called multitasking.

To Patricks right, Joe hasn’t nailed down Martin’s ability to shut out the world. He is in the prone position, feet on the cooler, but no handkerchief over the eyes, nor a hardhat for a pillow. But, despite the deficiencies, he seems to be enjoying a game on his smart phone.

Others in the cadre were sitting on their coolers swapping stories and I noticed that an iron worker’s job can be very hard on the wardrobe: for instance the shoes. Eddie, the wearer of the shoes has dubbed the toe of his shoe as the “pig snout-toed shoes.”

A hole in the knee, a patch, and another hole in the knee. James looked at this photo and exclaimed “that’s my knee.”

O these hands, my knuckles, my fingers, and my safety vest. What is a guy goin’ to do?

A lost soul sole: Even the souls soles of the shoe(s) need retreading periodically. . .You think? Did you notice that the shoes have no heals? The type of shoe is called wedge soles because the absence of the heal prevents or lowers the risk of tripping.