Back to Moose

This week at the visitor center was an adventure. On Wednesday we had strong winds and the tenting started to come down. We were trying to brace it from the inside but the wind was too strong, and the braces that were in were 'exploding.' No, I mean it, they just exploded in the middle. So we took the two gradall lifts out and tied the tent to them and pulled it out a bit while we re-braced the inside. It was kind of scary. This picture shows one lift still tied there the next day.

I have said before that this will be a beautiful building. Even the ceiling is beautiful.

The most exciting thing is that we finally set the first bit of glass in the big curtain wall. The glass is also big. The typical size (the glass that is not in corners or on the top row) glass is 64" x 109". In other words BIG. This is the first one we set. Next week we should have a lot more set. It will be really cool when it is done.

Two Thumbs Up!

So here's the damage, 10 Stitches in one inch. It looks pretty bad 'eh? It has been quite painfull the last two days. I am getting a bit more movement now that the swelling is going down some. I hope that It is more usefull on monday. There is just way too much work to be done to be taking time off right now.

Careful for what you wish for

This week in Jackson was rough. We worked 12 hr days, which isn’t too bad, but a day and a half of that Steve and I were having a hard time making this one particular elevation work. After getting all the aluminum in, set and started bolted into plane, we realized that the plane was determined (for us ) just a little off…3/4 of an inch in 40 feet. It will work…but it will still work.

This is the elevation Steve and I fought for so long

The week was really hard for Jessica here in IF too. The kids were difficult, and that got her to the end of her rope. We were both thinking that I could be home Thursday night (with me working 12 hour days), but with what needs to be done on the Visitor’s Center and by when, I would need to work Friday too (I think Cory and Gary will be staying through Saturday too).

Our glass will set on these stones...and will have to be cut to follow them too (see the jump?)

I did still come home on Thursday. However because of why I had to come home…I would have rather stayed. Around 4:00 Steve and I were cutting a few custom pieces to go on the north elevation. I was cutting a piece on the table saw, and it got away from me, the blade caught my thumb and just made hamburger out of it! OUCH!!! After 15 minutes I finally got it to stop bleeding through paper towels, and at that point I had to decide if I would be any help the rest of the day…let alone another day.

Cory suggested I go into Jackson and get some gauze and super glue and make a “cast.” I didn’t like that idea too much. It didn’t hurt too much yet, and I thought maybe I could help the rest of the day a little. But as I thought about it more, I realized I wouldn’t be much assistance…plus I needed to get it cleaned out and looked at—what if I got the tendon?

So Gary had Steve drive me home, and I went to the family emergency center. They cleaned it up (that hurt so bad I was levitating off the bed) and numbed it (that hurt far more than cutting it did!). I didn’t get the tendon, thankfully, but it did make a mess. The doctor cleaned it out (there was a lot of aluminum shavings in it) and sewed it up. I should be OK, I am hurting quite a bit now, but should be able to work next week. It obviously didn’t effect my typing ability…how much do you use your thumb when typing??? OK so both your thumbs?

I did take a few pictures before going to the doctor...but I'm not posting those. They are far nastier than the ones I posted in november, the last time I got cut bad.

Busy Week

I tried to publish this post Sunday, but Blogger wasn't working quite right...so here it is a few days late:

So I was lucky enough to work closer to home this week. I worked on the Rexburg Temple Tuesday & Wednesday and got a whole 9 windows installed on the 3rd floor (This is a stitched photo of our progress). They take a bit of time, and I don't want to rush it anyway...It's got to be done perfect. I did mess up on one piece of glass...I installed it upside down! But as soon as I get a suction cup up there we can re-set it...oops! This picture shows it. Can you find the oops?

It was great to work on the Temple, and it was also really nice to be so close to home so I could be home each night.

Thursday Jess and I went down to Salt Lake with TJ for a clinic at Shriner's Hospital. We had a some more questions before his surgery in May, and wanted a few more x-rays of his foot. The x-rays showed a lot more and just what we wanted to see than those before and helped out a lot...they look really cool, I want to make some images of them...Cyanotypes or POP prints would be interesting.

We also did a little shopping and walked around Temple Square. I got some new photo paper to print some images on…I tried it out on Saturday…looks like a silver print!
On the drive home, TJ slept for some of the trip. But as those with children know, that never lasts. We were able to keep him entertained with licorice. Yes he was a mess when we got home...but that way we got home without exploding!

We also spent much of this weekend looking into a home loan and looking for a home. That has been a bit overwhelming for me. It is hard to find a home that will meet our needs...that won't completely break us.

We've set glass!

Work on the Rexburg Temple started Monday! Jason and I set the first window in the Temple! That was pretty cool. But then on Tuesday I had to go to Jackson to work on the park visitor center. That is where I spent the rest of the week. progress went quite slow, but we do have a bunch of glass set. Each frame has to have end dams put in, be caulked and vinyled (rubber gasket) before glass can be set, so it is a slow process. These frames were set before I started working with Jenkins...They are big, but not as wierd as the big stuff we have been installing will be to set glass. The glass we set this week is all plumb.

It has been a very long week. I am very happy to be home for the weekend...and I think I may be working on the Temple next week. Jess and I are going to Salt Lake on Thursday with TJ, so It would be silly to go to Jackson for just two days (everyone is staying here on Monday). Or at least that was the plan the last I heard.

This is the material that we are using for the big sloped curtain wall...I have never used such an odd curtain wall system...lots of different pieces! The whole system seems to be over-engineered...but who am I? I'm a photographer and a glazier...not an engineer.

This space will be a gallery. The room strait back will be a classroom. It will be a beautiful exhibit space...but I don't think that they will really use it as an art gallery...probibly more for perminant pieces??? Who knows.

This is looking into the Gallery. I don't quite understand what the holes into the crawl-space are for. There are a lot of them. Something to do with diaramas and exhibits on hydraulic lifts??? Don't step in! They are normally covered, but they just got done pouring concrete (a second layer).

So that has been my week.

Another week in Teton Park

© Tyler Hopkins 2007

Another week of working at the Visitor's Center at Moose, WY has ended. We wroked 3-12's and a 'half-day.' The half-day became 10 hours. But the long hours were not too bad, we started earlier and we were able to keep busy and get a lot accomplished. One day the clouds even broke up and I got this shot of the Tetons from just outside the building. This will be the view from inside the building.

This shows our curtain wall in place, almost ready for glass...I stitched this from 3 photos (I need a much shorter lens!)

It felt so good to get so much done on it. We even started setting glass on some of the frames that were set before I started at Jenkins Glass. But Mostly I felt good about getting so much of the big curtain wall done. We are almost ready for glass on a lot of it. I don't know if I will be up there all of next week. I think that there could be about half of us up there setting the base for the next run of curtain wall. Our material is the smaller black stuff that sticks out from the bigger black stuff. We are now waiting for some stone boulders to be set so we can build off of them...again this is a really wierd design for a building. When it is done everyone that gets a chance must go see it. It will be beautifull!

This shows the only 90° corner on the system...it still leans into the building at 9° though...I stitched this from about 10 images...kinda messes with your eyes 'eh?

Cory's Question

So a friend called me with a question about the last post...too long of a question for a comment, I'll summarise: Look at the chain-link fence on the left of the spillway. In the 'close-up' (color) picture the fence is much shorter than the monochrome, which seems to be taken from farther back. I hadn't noticed this at all, but after Cory drew my attention to it, I was amazed. I looked back into the metadata to see what focal length I shot them at...this solved it. The 'close-up' or color image was actually shot from much farther away and at 145mm, whereas the monochromatic was shot from closer to the structure and at 50mm. From farther away the fence was foreshortened and more background was visible (look at the power lines on the right!). But when I moved in closer to the structure, and shot at a wider angle, the power lines were not visible and the fence appears to get longer. Thanks Cory that was fun!

On other notes, I was in Jackson most all of this week again. We made progress too! It felt so good to get something standing! This is an image of the first elevation we got standing. I shot this with my camera phone and stitched it together...roughly. It is kind of hard to see...you know black aluminum frame on black iron structure...and hey, it was shot with a camera phone! I'm taking my 10D up next week to get some better photos. It feels really good to be making progress!

The new guy (newer than me) grinding off studs

Teton Dam Spillway

Saturday, Theo & I went out photographing. Friday he got a GMC Yukon, and wanted to give it a shake-down run...you know test out the off-road capabilities. He also wanted to get to the Teton Dam spillway, on the NW side of the Dam. We had a fun time finding it, driving through a field and through a few drifts, not too bad, but we didn't know exactly where to go. We did find it and got a few good images. Do you like the color or monochrome better?

Once we got there, we weren't quite sure how to get down into the spillway...we found a better way out, but this is how we got down.

On another note...Friday I found out that I am not getting paid what we agreed on! I am getting paid $1.50 more! Yea...so it was a good job move. I guess they have been happy with my work

Teton Park Visitor Center

So I've been working a lot in Jackson the past 2 weeks. Jenkins Glass has a pretty big job there, the new Grand Teton National Park Visitor Center at Moose. It is a really wierd building! Right after I started, we began work on the main curtain wall (really big window framing system). It has strange angles all over (the building mimics the teton ridge) and the entire system leans into the building at 9 digrees. However it is nice to have the whole area tented off so that we can work in 40-50 digree conditions. This is an inside view in the main area...this will look out directly to the Grand Tetons...it will be a beautiful view! The black vertical posts are the steel structure that we will attach our aluminum structure to, that will have the glass in it...our windows. It is pretty tough just getting the base, head and wind-load clips (attached to the steel) ready and in the right place. The posts are not plumb...well yea they tip in 9 digrees, but they are suposed to be plumb left to right, but our aluminum must be.

You can see our wind load clips and our base here...as well as the tenting that keeps it a nice 45 inside the building.

Anyway so I have been pullng long days working on this and a little bit of stuff here in town. We have only spent 3 or 4 days in a row in Jackson so far, but those were 10 hr days...so most of tomarrow will be overtime $$$. I haven't had much ti me to photograph lately, but I did make some images of the Tetons that I plan to put together in a mosiac/collage...we'll see how that turns out.

Weekends sure have taken on a new meaning for me and the family. It is spent finding ways to have fun with the kids and spending quality time with them and Jess. So far we have done good by going out on dates together too. It has been tough to be away for much of the week. But the pay is already helping pay off some bills and start saving more.

New Job

So I started the new job this week. It is sure different to start over after being with one company for so long. I did have kind of a cool surprise, I got to work on the entry doors for the IF Temple. We changed out the frames and doors and put in leaded glass. Very beautiful. It will also be nice for elderly and handicapped patrons, there are now automatic doors...Not like at a grocery store, but push button operated. I worked on that most of the week, in and out of the shop. I'll snap some shots and post them soon.

On the cover of a magazine!

So I have been working out a lot lately. In fact Runner's World magazine asked me to model for them....Ok so that is total BS. Duh!! A guy in my ward asked me to put his face on this picture and it turned out really cool. Jess wanted me to do it with my face too. What do you think? I think it just makes me look like a shirtless pedophile! Good for a laugh!

Unemployed

Toph at Starlight Skating

Well, I’m unemployed…until Monday that is. After 5 years at Cherry Glass I decided it was time to move on. I didn’t see myself earning enough there to get into a house. They just weren’t willing to pay me what I need. So Monday I start working for Jenkins Glass. They do only commercial work, and some euro shower doors. It will help to have a little more $, and It will be interesting to try out something new. What I am excited for is that they are doing the windows in the Rexburg Temple. The glass and frames will be here around the end of February. That will be great to be a part of that. I am also looking into other, more long-term, jobs. I just need to find something that will help me meet my goal of getting a house this year—wish us luck.

Creedance had a lot of fun.

We have been out playing with the kids. We went ice skating and roller skating. I think they liked the roller skating more…a bit easier and a lot warmer.

Jess also had a project for me in the kids’ closet. She wanted to have some shelves to put their toys in. There always seemed to be a big pile of toys there. Here's the kids testing the structural integrity of them.

It has been a few crazy weeks.

More Christmas Photos

Looking North towards West Yellowstone from Lion's Head

So here are the photos from Jessica's new camera...pretty nice. I am not too pleased with how it does in low light (indoors/night), but that's what you get with point & shoot I guess. Other than the long delay to take a picture with a flash, it is not too bad. It will take come getting used to...but it isn't for me anyway.

Jess and Creedance sledding on Christmas Eve

Playing in the snow with TJ. It was so much fun to be a kid with mine.

Christmas in Island Park

We spent Christmas at my in-law's cabin in Island Park this year. We go up there as much as possible (especially in the winter), but this has been the first time I have been there on Christmas. It was a lot of fun! We went up on Christmas Eve and had a very nice Ham dinner (Thanks Jessica!). Sam & Emily went up a day earlier and cut down a tree, so after dinner, we popped pop-corn and decorated the tree.

Nate & Kim stringing popcorn

Chris read Luke 2, Becky recited "The night before Christmas," and Sam read a poem about a Grandma's first Christmas after passing away...it was very touching as Jessica's grandma passed this year.

Sam & Emily (Jake & Dave too) working on Popcorn too

The kids had so much fun! I think they would live up there year-round if they could...Hey I would too!

Dave and his popcorn string

Today we played outside. Sledding, jumping in the snow and a quick snow-mobille ride. I loved sledding with Toph & Creedance...and TJ even made a few runs. The hill was FAST!!! Toph is getting very brave, and Creedance loved going fast...the snow spray in the face didn't bother her too much....TJ didn't like it too much when he fell face-first into a drift (from sitting)!

Rachel made some sweet ornamants

I had to come home a day early to get to work tomarrow, so after Jess gets home with her (new) camera, I'll have more snapshots to post.

I hated to come home after only one day...but I am thankful for the time I could spend with my family and children...I can't wait for next Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Yes I am still alive! The monts of November and December have been very wild and crazy...and I'm not quite sure why. A few weeks ago we went to Island Park to get our Christmas Tree, and while there we made a nice family photograph for the Christmas Card. In this Photo, Creedance is 2 1/2 years, Christopher is 4 years, TJ is 7 months, and...well that's all the ages you need to know. Not much snow up there yet, hopefully we will have more for this weekend. We will be spending Christmas there, we are looking forward to it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!!

The Wong House and Windmills

"Two Chairs" The Wong House--Teton Village, WY

Friday I worked in Jackson, finishing up a couple jobs and measuring a couple more. One job--the Wong house, is really cool. I am very pleased with it and how it turned out. Here is one of the shower doors we did.

This one took us about 4 hours to do. It is 3/8" thick glass and fit very snug. The door has no frame around it and we were drilling into GLASS tile. Kind of nerve wracking. I really like the whole house, and after fixing a few little things there on Friday I took pictures of all the showers we did and these 2 chairs that I thought looked cool. The decorating was very cool. Very retro-70's mixed with some ultra-modern.

Darren and Brian came up to Jackson with their BFA students on Friday too. They wanted to see some of the galleries. I met them for lunch...we at at the Brew-Pub...very good! We went to the Art Center and saw an interesting exhibit called "The Apron Chronicles." It is a large collection of aprons with stories and photos of people wearing aprons...It was OK, I see the validity of the overlaying concept...but it didn't speak to me a great deal...not quite my cup of tea. It was a nice treat that the writer/collector of the aprons and the photographer were both there and we got to talk to them and ask questions. The opening reception was Friday night. If you are up that way, check it out...I wouldn't drive up there just to see it, but I'd stop by if there. We also went to the Oswald...my favorate! It was a fun afternoon to goof off from work. Thanks Brian! Thanks Darren!

Saturday afternoon, after installing windows in a house for a little Christmas money, Theo and I drove out to the Windmills to make some photographs. I think we were cutting it a little close on the light. But I had fun, and I think we got some good images. Theo also got to have fun pushing the limits of his new Subaru. We almost didn't make it up one sloppy hill. Definately need to go back after we get a little more snow.

Why glaziers don't wear rings

Today I had a little lesson as to why glaziers (and really all construction workers) should not wear rings...yep! You guessed it. You may or may not want to see these pictures.

We were installing a little glass corner to enclose part of a shower in a house in Victor, ID. I was standing on the little corner seat in the shower, holding the metal frame with my left hand, while running a screw into the frame with my right. After running the screw in, I stepped down, but my wedding ring caught the edge of the frame I was installing. OUCH!!! Among a few other words came out of my mouth. I filleted my finger quite bad...just layers of skin though. It swelled up quickly....I wish I would have pulled my ring off, but that flapper was in the way.

By the time we got to Jackson...by the way I did this at 8am today, and we still had a VERY full day of work to do in Jackson Hole! Anyway, by the time we got to Jackson, I was about ready to cut my ring off for fear of the swelling getting too tight. But it seemed to loose enough that I didn't need to worry. If the swelling comes back (I don't think it will), the cutters are coming out and the ring is coming off.

As soon as it heals up...or at least until the swelling goes down enough...the ring is coming off. I do like to wear it, but I like to have a finger to wear it on.

Can you see how much it has swelled?

Pretty nasty eh?

Finally--more photos!

So Blogger is working for me now! Here's the images from last weekend that aren't just snapshots. Give me some feedback of what you think!

Who needs a Safari Rack?!

The Sampson Cabin...well chimney, slab, beds and stove.

We found this at the West end of Hebgen Lake...I think it is a crawfish.

Quake Lake.

I got the film from this trip developed today too. I hope to get it scanned in a week or two. I even shot some Holga stuff. The negs look pretty good.