08/02: A Way to Come In

â€œWhen the shy star goes forth in heaven,
All maidenly, disconsolate,
Hear you amid the drowsy even
One who is singing by your gate.
His song is softer than the dew
And he is come to visit you.”

From Chamber Music by James Joyce

Now when he comes to visit the property just off the Daystar Road he will find a proper gate at which he can sing away. And so will you when you come.

It went along like this.

$This is the Pastor Edward\'s welding shop in Athi River, where I contracted to have the heavy metal gate I had designed, fabricated.$

$The first of the gate\'s two seven foot sections taking shape.$

$Edward\'s young grinder and aspiring welder. He wasn\'t posing for this shot, but happened to look up just as I took it.$

$This toad found his way to the bottom of the hole somehow, and I had to take him out because Kenyans won\'t touch them.$

$Gilbert putting together the rebar reinforcements for the gate post\'s foundations.$

$Either Doc or Grumpy pitchin\' in.$

$The broken sunglasses that the young worker used instead of a welder\'s mask.$

$Over the next week the gate grew and ripened to a deep russet color and finally it was time to collect it from Edward\'s.$

$and placed it in the 30\" square wooden form.$

$We brought the gate to its new and permanent home. Then we muscled up and lifted the two sides into place, over the long rebar which we had extended to go deep into the hollow 4x4\" post,$

$Then the rebar bending began again. We needed to reduce its area to about 16\" so it would fit nicely into the 20\" wide, 48\" high form which would hold the post. You can see the pieces of 2x2\" angled steel Edward had welded onto the bottom section of the posts to help secure it in the concrete.$

$We used the two pipe bending method. The shorter bottom pipe holds the rebar steady and provides the point at which the top pipe\'s force can make the bend.$

$so it would fit into the assembled 20x48\" form.$

$We needed a lot of concrete to fill the forms. So we mixed it in several batches. It\'s a process I have come to love, and like any new convert, I\'m eager to share.$

$Then you and Benson, if you\'re lucky enough to have a Benson, climb up on the barrels and fill the 4x4\" posts with concrete one bucket at a time.$

$until even in your most neurotic self you\'re sure you\'ve eliminated any air pockets.$

$and as they say, Bob\'s your uncle.$

$Six days later you take off the forms and there\'s your modest Empire State building, rising all the way to ground level, and somehow you\'re happy in a way that\'s difficult to explain.$

$And you pack the space with moistened murram to the level of the 30\" form and then hard core stood up straight and pounded flat with a twelve pound sledge hammer and covered with more moistened murram. This in layers until hole is a mound. In this case it was four layers.$

With deep love for free swinging hinges,

David and the gate builders

Comments(6)

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martin says
August 2, 2008 at 2:06 am

the golden gate, east-african style. and nary a casualty. beautiful.

i especially liked the three-man concrete shuffle, though it left me a little dizzy.

–m

p.s. no one says bob’s your uncle. except if he really is.
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Bob Saunders says
August 2, 2008 at 10:37 am

Monkey’s uncle, perhaps.
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Peggy Traverso says
August 3, 2008 at 10:04 am

David and Gate Crew —
Another lesson in the use of math and science in the real world! Yes, this need for inovation and “do-it-yourself” brings us into the real world we don’t usually see. Thanks for sharing

And thanks for all the hard work put into the gate. I plan to walk through the pedestrian door one of these days.

Lucky for the toad that the mzungu was there!
Peggy
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david says
August 4, 2008 at 6:30 am

My dear Martin,

In all likelihood it’s the counterclockwise rotation that did it, although that’s not unlike a slow motion version of your unguardable spin move in the paint.

Your counterpart here, the incomparable one, sends his greetings.

David

PS I’ll tell the Brits here to knock off the relational elasticity. They’re all still still claiming Bob here.
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david says
August 4, 2008 at 6:33 am

Hello Brother Bob!

Well, at least Amy and Allison can still loudly and proudly proclaim that Bob’s their uncle. As for the rest of us, monkey may be the better option. Let’s leave it an exclusive club.

Very big love to you and Patti,

David
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david says
August 4, 2008 at 6:37 am

Dear Peggy,

I’ll leave a token hanging for you on the gate post that will assure you immediate entry as an honored and distinguished visitor, a member of the family returned to us.

Until then, as Kenyans say, we are just around.

Love,

David

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Comments(6)

martin says

Bob Saunders says

Peggy Traverso says

david says

david says

david says