Sights only Wind Techs See

There is a lot of talk about the wind industry these days, the pros and the cons, the need and the impact. However there isn’t much said about the life of the wind tech.

Most of the jobs in the wind industry involve travel. The men and women who work on the towers are gone from home for six weeks at a time and spend most of their life in hotels separated from friends and family.  The work is hot, dirty, and hard, but it is a wonderful job. My husband loves his job. In troubleshooting the breakdowns it has enough puzzles that it keeps his mind busy and the job itself has enough danger that it keeps him on his toes.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of safety procedures in place. It is one of the safest jobs in the energies field, but still when you’re walking around on top of a 300+ ft tower there is an element of danger that thrills the adventurer.

So I thought I’d share some photos my husband took while at work. It’s sights that only the tower monkeys get to see. Yes I just called my husband a tower monkey. It’s a nickname in the industry, tower climbing grease monkey, and we shortened it to tower monkey.

Advertisement

Thoughts and Pictures: Just Passing By

Just some observations that I’ve made in passing.

1. Kids are really inventive. If you’ll notice the second floor window on the Middle School building. There is a Powerade bottle sitting on the sill. The window swings outward. I don’t know how they got it there but I appreciate the skill involved. 
2. Apparently the moth found the proverbial flame and decided to stay instead of burning up. I noticed this as the wax melted. 
3. This is the ice in the rain barrel. It froze over oddly. The ice is about a 1/4 of an inch thick but it is ridged and there is a perfect diamond in the upper right that is not frozen at all. Weird. 
4. This is a stack of potting soil outside of a store. As you can see there is a hole. I was just wondering if someone was taking a page from “The Great Escape” and taking the bag home one hand full at  time.
5. A beautiful Montana sunrise. No explanation needed.
6. I just love the simplicity of this apartment’s Halloween decorating. Just a simple Jack O’Lantern, but for some reason it seemed so cozy and homey. 
7. This is just my cat being melodramatic in the neighbor’s decorations.
8. And last but not least….pink snow courtesy of sunrise. 

Impromptu art

I was sitting in the dining room looking across the room at the painting on the living room wall. Man in Golden Helmet.

In front of me was my son’s chalkboard easel. And I thought oh what the hey, I’ll try and draw it.

Well this is what I ended up with…

It was kinda far across the room.

Not too bad I guess for a no talent ding dong. Guess sometimes ya gotta just go with whim.

Trippy Car Wash

A tri-color wash at a brushless car wash.

I don’t remember car washes being this trippy when I was a kid.

I have to say, it beats using a bucket and rag.

 

 

Fires and the sky

Montana is on fire. Over 40 of the 56 counties are on fire. Where we live is completely surrounded by fires. We are not in direct danger but the smoke is really affecting everything.

The sky’s are orange and gray making everything look alien. It’s so thick you can see the sun without protection.

This picture is not doctored in any way. This is actually the sun and sky at 11 am.

The air is thick and hard to breath. Air alerts are out warning limiting exposure.

There has been coatings of ash on everything. Even inside ash is getting everywhere.

Then the wind came.

It was scary fast wind. The temperature dropped from the high 70s to the mid 40s. It actually snowed up in the mountains.

It blew the smoky haze away and for one day we have had blue sky.

It’s slowly starting to get hazy again now as the fires keep burning.

Hopefully soon we’ll get some relief. Pray the fires go out.

World’s Only Evidence of The Jackalope Seal

What could have become of this unique species? Where did it live?

All questions that will remain unanswered.

Found in an antique store in Great Falls, Montana.

(Yes I know I’m crazy, lol)

 

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring is finally working its magic! I hope with all these flowers we will get a lovely fruit crop this year!

I’m not sure what these are by they are everywhere in my yard!

Tulips!

Apple blossom!

Crabapple blossom

Wild Plums!

Lilacs!

Current bush!

Chokecherries!

And we can’t forget the dandelion invasion!

I forgot we did that!

Long ago in a town not far from nowhere, there once were three friends. Frank, Adriana, and Aaron. We were much like the Three Musketeers, the Three Amigos, or the Three Blind Mice. We partied together, philosophized together and drank more coffee than was probably healthy.

I don’t remember whose idea it was or even why we started but one night there was a  painters tarp tacked up on the wall of the questionable trailer house we spent most of our time in. House paint appeared and we started to paint.

I apologize for the quality of the pictures. I have been lugging this thing around for 20 years.

Frank took the left side.

I took the middle.

Aaron took the right side.

 

Here are some close ups. Still not great on the the photos. Sorry.

Aaron’s Moon

My sun and whale.

Aaron’s ship.

 

 

My cat and dragon.

Frank’s field.

Frank’s Thistle and Rose.

Frank’s Phoenix

We had to move out of the trailer before we could finish it and never got back to it. Frank and I married and Aaron is our son’s Godfather. We all still dabble in art except for Aaron who is professional at it. He is a graphic designer and a photographer.  Here is his site if you want to see more. Aaron Villescas

Monday. Just sayin…

Sunspots. Everyone loves them