Construction Classics Part II

A continuation of a previous post stating actual comments that were said to me or in my presence at the construction site. Enjoy!

1. "All's I know is I don't know."

2. "Well..... I need to go pick up all my kids from all their prospective mothers."

3. "I have two little kids--they are three months apart."

Stay tuned for an ever growing list.

"We Biked the Bridge!"

Cheesy title, huh? Well, that's how we got sold on this day. We were walking through the city the first day we were there, and heard you could rent bikes (i.e. "Bike the Bridge!" Say it enthusiastically!). We just needed to find the right weekend, and we were off.

We took the BART to the city (our first time on a train!), then picked up our bikes. Along the 26 mile, hilly route, we stopped at museums, forts, historical sites, fountains, forests, and a fun place to eat. We were amazed at all the different environments there! We were weaving in and out of tons of traffic one minute, and a few hours later, we were the only ones biking through a redwood forest. The whole day was topped off by a ferry ride home. It was quite an adventure!

This was where all the homeless people sleep. That was probably the most shocking part of the city for us yesterday. We always knew that there were plenty of homeless there, but it's a whole new world when you have to step over them. (That's not actually why we took this picture. Karen loved the fountain...) 

Talk about the "City of Fog!" The whole day was brisk, and it drizzled lightly for a few hours.

We took this picture before we crossed the bridge.  

Probably our best picture of the bridge.

These pictures make us wish there had been a blue sky! The temperatures were pretty cold on the entire trip, but it was still very pretty (much more so than you can see here!).  

Karen has always been attracted to History...

This is Fort Union, the only completely brick fort on the west coast.

Here we are on the "Golden Gate" bridge. As you can see, it is red. Here in San Francisco, they don't learn their colors in grade school. They are too busy learning about rainbows. 

This fountain was right where we ate lunch in Sausilito. We felt like we were in Paris (although, granted, we've never been to Paris).

This was one of the best parts of the day. We stopped for lunch at this restaurant, which was right on the water's edge. They had heaters outside, too, so we didn't freeze (too much). It was very romantic. 

I'm actually happier to be at this place than my face lets on....hehe. Our food was excellent! I had a salmon fillet with pineapple, and Brady had a yummy crab and alvacado sandwich. We've learned that people here in CA are CRAZY for alvacado.

We grumbled the whole way up to this place! All along the way, there were hundreds of bikers, until we came to this area. We found out why! It is about 3 miles straight uphill. Yikes. It was so cold at the top that we stopped long enough to take a picture, and then cruised downhill. It was a bit scary at one point, because a car roared around the corner and almost nailed me. Whew. Not the best experience, but it was fun anyway.

This is in Old Mill park. Honestly, on the way up, we didn't pass a single biker. Of course, this picture doesn't do the hills justice. We wanted to capture the trees more than anything else.

Brady says he's going to go back to school to become a photographer.  

Here is a picture of me and John, the man we live with. He has a new phrase everyday! After dinner tonight, he said, "I'm full as a tick." Seriously, that's pretty funny! 

Feminine or Manly?

Living here in San Fran gets you thinking... With so many--shall we say, feminine?--men, there are many trends that you wonder about. Then I consider my ultra-conservative school where I am seeing many of the same trends. So I pose this question on several similar scenarios: Feminine or Manly?

1. Crossing Legs
Cory and I debate this one constantly. He says, "Go with what's comfortable." I say, "Quit being a woman," and "You're going to get spider veins." If you are secure enough as a man, is there anything really wrong with this? Hmmm...

2. Pink Shirts
They are everywhere! Especially dress shirts. Many of the so-called "popular" kids at school are wearing them regularly. Banana Republic is starting to look like a women's-only store. Here I have a contradictory viewpoint...I LOVE THEM!

3. Capri Pants
Wasn't there a star recently spotted sporting some of these? I know I've seen them in my school (and, not to pick on him again, on Cory a few years back). I'm not so sure about this trend, but perhaps it's because it's a new thing. Wasn't it only a few years ago that they looked odd on girls, too? I still don't know about this one.

4. Plucking Eyebrows
I don't think anything more needs to be said about this one other than this: If you are growing hair in odd places, get rid of it! No unibrow! If you feel too feminine plucking, go ahead and shave. That's manly. Or just get it waxed (but would that bring up a whole new point???).

5. Tanning
Wow. I just don't know. On the one hand, who cares? On the other hand, it is a bit disconcerting. Really, it's disconcerting for girls, too, but we've just gotten over that as a general public. What do you think?

Since we're on this discussion, here is one that should be added to the list of MEN SHOULD, BUT DON'T (that has not been created): Shaving armpits. I mean, who really likes armpit hair? I don't understand why it's such a big deal for women and not men (and PLEASE don't take me wrong here! I don't think we should all be like Julia Roberts and "forget" to shave). It's not attractive. Soon, I'll have Brady believing it, too. Just watch.

Our summer pad!! This $875,000 home in the lovely Concorde, CA is our home away from home. We are staying with 75 yr old John Hughey, who just wanted some company for the summer. Don't be fooled, this camera view captures the entire house, all 1500 sq ft. Yes, this is the going rate out here. Someone just offered the above price for his home. Just one more reason we are doubtful that we'll ever be able to afford something out here.

Mom and Dad Edwards share a grin as they prepare for their three year mission to Lansing, Michigan.

I keep trying to convince Karen that Heber Valley is a great spot for us. The scenery is not enough to convince her.

The whole family at the Lion House Pantry next to the church office building. Mom and Dad Edwards were just set apart by Elder Oaks and Elder Tingey. Mom and Dad will leave to serve their mission in Lansing Michigan this weekend.

On Saturday, Brady and I went up Mt. Diablo. Supposedly you can see all the way to Yosemite on clear days, but it obviously wasn't clear.

After a long day at the beach, Kristen and I were really excited when we bought strawberries to make some shakes. Sadly, this ended in disaster. We decided to make the most of it...

We had so much fun at the beach on Memorial Day. Cory kept saying how impressed he is with Blake not being scared of anything--snails, crabs, starfish, etc. He really is excited about the little animals everywhere. I actually thought the big boys were more excited, though.

This is Cory and Kristen. Their kids are Blake and Rachel. We figured we should include lots of pictures of them considering how often we talk about them. Also, they are good looking people. So there you go.

Brady was literally gone for an hour on a crab hunt.

This picture is taken next to the Ritz Carlton hotel that is famous for being the nicest. The beach was gorgeous, and we had a lot of fun in the tide pools.

Lost and Found

Last night we went to a Vietnamese place to eat with Cory and Kristen--and another couple that will never read this, so we won't put in their names. It was fun (besides my slight allergic reaction later), but we accidentally left our camera there. We've been panicking ever since, but finally Brady talked to the manager, and they got it for us. (As a side note, we spent most of our time smiling and nodding, acting like we could hear the conversation. Karen got tired of saying "What?" and finally just started pretending. We've all been there. Quit judging! hehe)

We sure like living here near Cory and Kristen. Karen loves the kids she watches, and Brady is learning a lot in his job. We're trying hard to "see it all" while we are here, since we don't think we can ever afford to live here.

We just watched the Napolean Dynamite dancing sequence. Why is that show so embarrasingly funny? It's a mystery, but you just can't finish the end without thinking that life is good. Very good. (And without singing the wedding song in your dreams that night. Anyone else have Man from Snowy River music accompianing your sheep?)

Well, we aren't very funny so it's time to say good night. We'll get some pics up as soon as we reclaim our camera tomorrow.

Good Ol' Fashion Construction

Construction is an interesting field. One minute you can be discussing vital managerial and operational procedures and the next minute you can be interpreting sentence fragments that make no sense at all. The latter is what has inspired me to begin posting "All-Time Classic Construction Phrases."

For example, the other day while walking the model homes under construction, a subcontractor made no sense at all when he said, "All's I know is I don't know."
Isn't that great!

The second incidence occured today while out on the job site. One guy came up to me and gave me a sheet of paper that read exactly as below.

Construction site on the left side of street. Ask for ________.

The guy asked me if I knew where the builder was named "Construction site."

It's hard to keep a straight face out here sometimes.

Back In the Saddle Again

Amidst the fun trips to San Francisco and the beach, Karen and I have managed squeeze work in too. My day consists of getting up every morning at 5:20 am and driving an hour to work. We are currently working on the production of 136 homes. But don't get too excited though, I haven't been asked to do very much. In fact, one of the subcontractors named me "Easy Money." I usually just try to look busy while casually walking around the construction site. Sometimes I even pull out my tape measure and measure stuff just so I look like I'm doing something. Yeah, I would agree, "Easy Money."

The kids

Well, unlike Brady, I don't have to pretend to stay busy. The three girls I watch keep me pretty occupied. I sure love hanging out with them! My 2 year old has discovered the park, and she never wants to leave. We often meet up with Kristen and her kids for a great time. I'll have to load up a picture of them...they're cute!