The Week of July 2, 2018 and Tucked in the Middle, the 4th of July

I aimed the camera and pressed the shutter release button just as Patrick ignited his welding torch. At the time, I had no way of knowing if this single shot would be in or out of focus. Upon seeing the photo on the computer screen, I knew without a doubt; this photo was the right one to introduce this holiday week. The brilliant burst of light with the cascading sparks emanating from the point of contact reminded me of those famous words in our National Anthem:

….And the Rockets’ red glare, the Bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our Flag was still there;

O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave,…

 –The American Flag courtesy of  Pinterest

The day before the Fourth of July holiday, the site, from the basement to the sixth-floor podium roof, was buzzing like a beehive on a balmy summer day. There were welders, ironworkers, electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, concrete finishers, safety personnel, inspectors, project superintendents, Monokote mixers, Monokote texture sprayers, carpenters, lift operators, and installers, along with other tradespeople. All around the massive steel structure, things were humming and the spirit of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday was definitely in the air. 🔨

Time to Compare Elevations

With the sixth floor of the podium topped off, it was time to compare some elevations from the top of the Faculty Medical Office patient parking structure known as P4. Up I drove, switchback after switchback, to the roof of the five-story structure. 🔨

As viewed from the P4 parapet, the top of the podium and the roof of the existing Children’s Hospital are close to the same height as the parking structure.  When the hospitals are completed the mountains to the north will be obstructed entirely, from this vantage point. 🔨

With the man-lift working all the way to the sixth-floor on Thursday (07.05.18), I caught a ride to take a look around from the top of the podium. The yellow arrow designates the spot from where the previous photo was taken. 🔨

The first thing I noticed upon entering “A” level on my way down to the basement was the smell of freshly poured concrete. Toward the southeast quadrant, I saw them on their knees, the concrete finishers, smoothing out the last section of the quadrant. With the early morning pour, all of the “A” level metal decking is now covered in approximately nine-inches of concrete. 🔨

Some forty-five minutes later, I observed the concrete finishers with knapsacks full of tools of the trade on their backs trudging up the staging yard incline to where their cars were parked at the P4 parking structure. Soon they would be home getting some much-needed shut-eye after a long night.🔨

New Developments Down in the Basement

I quickly made my way down to the basement to see what activity was going on down in the bowels of the structure: who knows what I’ll find down there. Usually, there are a few of workers working around the base isolators and dampers. 🔨

Since I was on “B” level last Friday, the electricians had set up the large switchgear box (center left) in the northwest mechanical room.🔨

Just to the left of the mechanical room, the shadows lengthen and additional light is required to see beyond ones nose. As I entered deeper into the dingy space the shadows grew longer and as made my way around a base isolator I came upon light illuminating an area where they appeared to be some action. Seeing a foot on a ladder, I moved in to get a closer look. 🔨

Pipe-fitter Daniel reaches for his torpedo level to check the vertical plumb of the plumbing vapor vent he just inserted into the pre-drilled hole that goes to “A” level.

A portable concrete coring machine drills a hole through the nine-inches of concrete to make a passage for a pipe to come up from the floor below. The precise location as to where to drill was marked previously via Trimble laser technology.

A pipe-fitter on “A” level clamps the vapor vent pipe that was just sent up through the hole by Daniel on “B” level.

Elsewhere on Level “A”

Toward the middle of “A” level, I noticed a lot of activity, which I thought might be of interest. After weaving my way around caution and do not enter tape, I arrived at the place where pipe-fitters and welders were preparing to hoist a steel box beam support to the ceiling where it would be welded into place.

The two men below and the worker on the snorkel lift at the left stabilize the steel box beam as their coworker uses a chain pulley to raise the heavy piece of steel into place.

Preparing to position the box beam.

Working my way through the maze of extension cords, pipes, tools, and steel track headers toward a parking lot of snorkel lifts, scissor lifts and ladders, I came upon some interesting activity, which I thought might be of interest.

Pipe fitters (David, the foreman, standing and Patrick moving the snorkel lift)  and the welders were hard at work on level “A” welding a cradle hanger to the beams above, which will support the mechanical pipes, which will run above the ceiling tile.

Patrick tacks the cradle support as foreman David holds the horizontal support in place.

Out on The East Side of the Podium —

Where the Steel Column are Being Welded Together

Within the yellow oval where two columns come together, the welders must fill in the gaps where the yellow arrows are pointing. Once the v-grove joints are fixed welded together, the splice provides added strength, and stability to the steel member.

The yellow arrow points to where the v-grove joints between two columns were fixed welded. The welder is now working on the right side of the columns.

On the east side of the building, the day before the Fourth of July, there was a lot of smoke, a some sparks, and a few small flames (see yellow oval in the upper center).

Both lifts are working: The lift on the right has stopped at the third floor while the lift on the left has stopped at the fifth floor where side safety panels are being installed.

Other Activities Inside the Structure —

A Shaft of Light

Two days later during my wandering on “A” level, I spotted a shaft of light coming down from the ceiling. Thinking that this might be a photograph in the making, I decided to check it out.

The shaft of light, which piqued my interest as shimmered in the center of the strap-like tinsel hanging from the metal decking. Coming closer, I realized that the shaft was coming from a source higher than the ceiling. What was the source of this light?

The source was a hole in the fifth floor, which allowed the shaft of light to work its way  down to level “A”. The large openings are for the main HVAC ducting and plenum that must go to each floor of the podium.

The final shot revealed a solid knife-like shaft from the source to the fourth floor where it faded into a blur ending at the ceiling light, which is centered at the bottom of the photo.

The Scorching Final Day of the July Four Holiday Week —

Can Anyone Spell Hades? 

118 degrees! Need I Say More? Source: http://www.timeanddate.com/weather/usa/loma-linda/historic