January 4 – January 30, 2021 — Praying for a Better and Brighter Year. The Project is Winding Down

The featured image for this post is of the Loma Linda University Health/Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus Adult hospital and elevator towers as viewed from the Montecito Memorial Park. The towers rise above the trees against the background of snow-covered mountains, azure skies, and scattered clouds. In the foreground, the unfurled American flag waves smartly in the breeze paying homage to those who rest from their labors and to those who visit the hallowed grounds.

When the LLUCTP began in 2015, no one could have imagined that 2020 would be designated a pandemic year — face masks, social distancing, stay at home were mandated by the states. Nonessential workers were required to work from home. K-12 public schools were closed. Remote learning is the new norm. Loma Linda University Health has had to change the way students are taught. Patient care has drastically changed. Patient visiting hours have been eliminated. I could go on, but it is too depressing. Despite the pandemic, construction continues on the Loma Linda University Health/Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus. The project is winding down. As one of the superintendents said, “there are about a couple of hundred laborers around, most of whom are working inside.”

Today (01.27.21), as I made my rounds, I noticed a small crew laying asphalt on the southeast corner. There was a graphic artist painting a laurel leaf motif on the south-facing ambulance screen. Along Barton Road on the southwest side of the site, there were two landscapers planting shrubs and trees. On the west side, there were two or three laborers. On the northeast side, there were a number of landscapers.

On the inside, it was a different story. There were a number of laborers working in the various areas I visited. Today, I visited the Galleria, the lobby, I was the sole person in an elevator that whisked me from level one to the 16th-floor in a matter of seconds. On the 16th-floor I ran into about five laborers working near the Administrative Board Room. There were five electricians installing the bar lights that run the length of the terrace-balcony. Inside the large Conference Room, there was a lone painter stirring paint in a bucket. I ran into one person on the roof of the adult tower. Down on the third floor (operating rooms), I didn’t see anyone. It appeared I had the floor to myself. Back on the ground floor, I ran into a number of laborers in one of the corridors.

This blog might as well be called the January 2021 Blog. Although, I have been on-site taking photos, I have had little time to edit them and write captions. I have been busy with other writing projects for the Alumni Association, School of Medicine of Loma Linda University. In addition, I have been supplying photographs to the Loma Linda University Marketing department for a project that has–of course–a deadline. With my deadline met, I can get back to work on this blog.

Nightscapes

Azure Skies, Crisp Days, and Scenic Mountain Snow

The last few days, the Loma Linda area has been blessed with dark brooding clouds that beget rain, azure skies, crisp days, and Scenic mountain snow. The meteorologists predict more rain and snow are to come.

They Built on the Foundations Others Laid

The Valley Below and the Mountains Beyond – What a Difference 106 Years Make

The Main Entrance Canopy — The Sunscreen

The Laurel Leaf Artwork Motif Makes its Way onto the Ambulance Screen Panels

Between the two emergency room entrances located on the south side of the hospitals, there is a screened section in the parking lot that is reserved for ambulances that bring in patients. This screened section is designed for patient privacy and safety. On the south panels facing Barton Road, the laurel leaf motif continues. Yesterday (01.27.21), I came across the artist who was working on the panels.

Aircraft Warning Lights and Antennas Populate the Roof of the Elevator Tower

The LLUH East Helipad and The Transfer Patient Lobby