Wednesday was a BIG day by many measures. It was the day that Alderfer Glass installed their biggest pieces of glass ever; four pieces measuring 8 x 13 feet, 1/2 inch thick and weighing 631pounds each. And they had to be lifted 5 feet high to set them! A rather colossal task that took 8 guys from Alderfer and several of the other kindly contractors who were on site to help. And I was largely in charge of the engineering of the project. Thanks immensely to Keith Hoover and his gracious lending of an old-fashioned block-and-tackle, I was able to rig up a crane that helped lift and guide the glass safely to their setting channels. And by strapping two drywall carts back-to-back, I engineered a carrying system that safely (well almost safely!) carried the glass to the setting area. The "almost" was due to the one piece sliding off the cart and the corner crashing down onto the 1/4 piece of plywood but not breaking into a million pieces somehow! What a sudden thrill that was that the glass stayed intact and no one got hurt! These pieces of glass were the signature element of the Bucks County Curling Center; the largest curling center in America. Now everyone can sit in 70 degree temperature and watch curling happen right in front of them, just like they were sitting in their own living room at home! There are actually two rinks there and they are planning to make both of them to be used only for curling. No more ice hockey! Sorry guys!
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