Lost without GPS
The paper map industry has suffered the same fate as the fabled buggy whip industry. Technology has moved on and we no longer have a glove compartment full of maps in our cars as a record of our travels. Hmmmm… I don’t think I’ve ever in my life time seen a pair of gloves in a car’s “glove compartment”, so how does that continue to be the common reference? (I may have AADD. I should never have found out that was a thing.)
I’ve noticed that in the past few years since the advent of GPS mapping, I can’t give directions to anyone anymore. Even places I’ve been to several times, I’m unsure of myself without plugging it into a mapping app. Now that most of them factor in traffic and accidents, I’m often “punished” by trying to head out on my own on a route I know. As I sit in stuck traffic, the alternate route it suggested mocks me.
While I did think GPS was making me stupid, I wouldn’t have thought it was affecting me physically as the Dr. Oz article to the right suggests. I don’t need any brain shrinkage!
I seriously can’t imagine people blindly following it off the road as suggested here. It’s not that accurate with the “Turn here” advice, though it is improving.. (It better get perfected quickly though if those self-driving cars are going to rely on it.)
We had two cars with GPS Navigation built-in. On the plus side, it’s a bigger screen, turns down the radio when it speaks and includes heads-up display. On the downside, it is generally less than 6 months before it’s outdated and the last I checked, the subscription update cost more than a Garmon. But why even buy a Garmon when Google Maps is constantly updated and comes as free app for your phone? The last car we bought, we skipped that option. A $15 phone holder took the place of the $1,000 GPS option.
We still have a few maps and sometimes I find it interesting to pull them out and see where I am on a larger scale. The zoom out feature on the mapping software just doesn’t give you the same effect. On the other hand, my wife would be fine if she never had to look at a paper road map again! She’s directionally challenged and if the map is right-side up in front of her, then we’re always going north…
Harrington Noodles Project in the News
We’ve been working with Harrington Noodles for some time on a new facility. They make Amish Egg Noodles which are sold in stores locally and throughout our region. The demand is exceeding the capacity of their current facility.
The new Harrington Noodles factory will provide them with updated work space with modern temperature control, a loading dock and room to expand – all things they’ve been lacking in their current facility. Last night they were featured in a news report on WNDU. You can find the story and video here on the WNDU website.
We went through several reiterations on this project to find the right fit. The site is adjacent to Pretzels, Inc. in Plymouth providing some benefit to having similar production facilities in the same area. The property was purchased from PIDCO (Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation) and has easy access to Hwy 30.
The wet spring has hampered construction on this project as with many throughout our region. We have the building up and are waiting for the soils to dry out so we can proceed with infrastructure. That should be happening soon.
The Carpenter
An old carpenter about to retire is telling his boss about his plans to stop working in construction and enjoy life with his wife and kids. He is so excited about retiring that he wasn’t looking forward to anything else. All he wanted was to retire.
The boss was upset about losing a good worker and as a personal favor, asked the man to work on the construction of one last house. The old carpenter didn’t want to accept, but he couldn’t deny his boss one last favor.
He took the job, but it was clear that his heart wasn’t in it. Consequently he was careless and used inferior material on the construction of the home. It was a sad way to finish such an excellent career with so many years of total dedication to his craft.
When the house was completed his boss was there to inspect it. He gave the key to the house to the old carpenter and said, “This is your house. It’s a gift for you after so many years of hard work.”
The old carpenter was shocked. “What a shame!”, he thought. If he had known that he was his house, he would have done things differently…
That’s how it is with all of us. We construct our day-to-day lives carelessly without giving the proper attention to detail and then we have to live in the house we built. Afterwards we think that we could have done things differently, but time doesn’t come back. Too late now…
Remember that you are the carpenter of your own life. You construct your life a little bit per day – you hit a nail here, build a wall there and so on…
Author Unknown
Construction Jargon Glossary
For those new to the construction industry or just listening in, here are a few construction terms you should know. Many of these are what you would here from the old-timers like Dave…
200 mile per hour tape: Duct tape
Arnworker: An Iron Worker
Blue Flue: Hangover
Blue Room: or green, depending on the color of the portable toilet on the job site.
Woodpecker: A Carpenter
Come Along: Tool used to assist in alignments, adjustments and assisting different structural members into their proper place. Sometimes referred to as a 20 lb sledgehammer.
Dirt Jockey: A Heavy Equipment Operator
Greaser: Oiler or Helper on heavy equipment (usually cranes)
Grease Pole: Hydraulic Crane Operator
Greenhorn: Someone new to the industry, trade or craft. (The old term for Newby or Noob.)
Hammerfore: This is what you tell the Greenhorn to go and get from your truck. After an unsuccessful search, they will come back and ask, “What’s a Hammerfore?” This is where they are told they may want to look for another career if they don’t know what a hammer is for…
Headache!: Look up, cover your head, something is about to fall on your head.
Hiccup: Something that has been done, but has to be redone, because it wasn’t done right in the first place.
Hot Wrench: Use a torch when a wrench won’t work… Burn it off!
IBEW: I Block Every Walkway
Ginnie Hopper: Apprentice Grade Checker
Grunt: An Unskilled Laborer generally used for heavy work.
Lead Pusher: Architects, Engineers and Designers
Modify: To alter, usually by accident, i.e. “Boss, I just modified your fender with my dozer.”
Mucker: A person that uses a shovel, rake or come-along to move fresh poured concrete.
Mud: Wet concrete. Alternate use: Drywall Joint Compound
Nail Bender: A Carpenter
Narrowback: An inside electrician as opposed to an electrical lineman.
Roper: An electrician whose main projects are residences using Romex.
Shovel Jockey: Laborer
Sparky: Welder or Electrician
David P. Osborn
We lost another long time member of the Easterday Construction family last week. Dave Osborn was a carpenter at Easterday Construction for decades. As a Merit Shop company, we ask our employees to have many skills and Dave was no exception. Along with Carpentry, he helped as a Cement Mason, Steel Erector, Welder and occasional Mechanic. Dave was a hard worker and never turned down a request.
You could count on Dave to be there giving it his all when there was a concrete pour, sweating through his sleeveless T-shirt and wringing sweat out of his red, white & blue sweat band as he jeered younger workers because, “You can’t keep up with this old man???” Well, except when there was no one around but the crew, that would be enhanced with a string of choice expletives! He was always careful to be sure no one outside the crew around before he cut loose. He was always a gentleman around women and our clients. For example, after building a custom home for the Falender family, Steve Falender wrote us a very nice letter. This is a paragraph excerpt that specifically referenced Dave:
“During framing, I decided the wall between the living room and the kitchen, as built and designed, was 5 inches too long. I asked Dave how difficult it would be to move it. His response was: ‘We’re here to do whatever you want.’ I can’t remember a single time when any of your employees or subs complained about a change.”
Dave was a farmer even while working full time in construction. As a typical farmer, he never had a good year and there was always too much rain or not nearly enough. He maintained a vegetable garden as well and was always bringing in vegetables to share with his fellow workers. Even after his retirement, he would stop by to share his bounty. We could always count on sweet corn, tomatoes or squash at least once during the summer season.
All of us at Easterday Construction have fond memories of Dave. He will be sorely missed.
