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My number two son ( first year apprentice) and I were working on the foundations of a 200’x50′ farm shed.
It’s black soil country with highly expansive clays and the engineer has specified piers at 20′ deep and 24″ diam for the footings.The owner is an old fusspot and I’ve set up the builders level to make sure our heights are spot on when we pour ( bore and pour same day).
Dad!! Take a look at this hawk!!
I can just hear him above the noise of the auger as I clear away the heavy black muck it’s bringing to the surface.The shovel has already caught once in the auger and given me a good whack in the head with the handle for my inattention so I’m not quite ready to take up bird watching at the moment.
Dad!! He’s eating the mouse!!
The auger has withdrawn, I turn around to see my pride and joy has rocked the Level off it’s three legs and is scoping a bird on top of a nearby silo!!
Fortunately we had shot a datum on a nearby wall but he now knows not to touch the level once it’s set up.
He even bought himself a pair of binoculars to do his birdwatching with.
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Good kid! Trying to find a different carreer! It might be time for him to work with another journeyman!
Or, you could grab the level out of his hands, and spot the bird yourself, and make him handle the shovel! (that's what I would do)
Blue
*The message, here, is easy to read. Whack the kid with the shovel instead of yourself.
*Don't you just love it when you pull up to a site and find all your stakes pulled up and laying in a pile???????????????
*Sorry, Bill, I didn't know it was your job. But, when I pull stakes, I don't leave 'em in a pile, that's too obvious. I just, uhm, "rearrange" them.
*I kind of like to add some of my own markings too, you know, maybe adjust the grade a little bit or add some to the offsets. It makes it much more interesting on the job next door!
*That reminds me of a job last week. Here the sparkys cut their feed wires on an angle and their switch wires square. Someone didn't like our sparky and went through the job over the weekend and cut all the wires square.
*Mark, Just because they gave your son a "Field Guide to Birding," you took offense and made them "hotcheck" all that work? Tsk, tsk.
*G.W.C. - bad week for canadians eh? first we hear they're stuffing sheetrock then Boxcar Willie dies!
*Mark - Working with your son can be a trying experience, but he'll probably remember it for the rest of his life. I had my sons out "helping" me on DIY projects from the time they could walk. At 3 years old, my first son could drive a 10D nail in an SYP header on his own. At 4 and 5, they were up on the garage roof helping put shingles on. They weren't a lot of help, but at least they were learning. My neighbor tells his son he can help him the most by staying out of his way. What's that kid going to learn from that ?Stick with your kid. He'll never learn anything sitting at home watching TV.
*I know of a house being built a few years ago where over the weekend someone moved a string about a foot on one batter board .Believe it or not no one caught it until they were laying the last row of subfloor.They went on with it & kinda squared up the roof when they got to the trusses.Bet it made for some tough drywalling.Chuck
*Bob the Younger... Don't go insulting Mark by calling him a Canadian! He's respectable. From Australia, and somewhat tarnished by their ties to the Canadians through the Monarchy... but overall, respectable.
*Yeah what he said Bob. We got class here.Mostly decendants of convicts don't you know???