Monday, September 26, 2011

It's a Family Affair

My Dad recently made a rather big decision to start working on an addition to his house. No one is really certain why since all of his kids are grown and moved out or getting close to doing so but regardless he is doing it and so it is.

I decided to head out to take a few pictures.  He'd worked hard to prepare for the concrete pouring.  I'd hear it in his tired voice each night when I called. I did have an official job too, I was bringing the donuts!

I arrived right behind the cement truck.


Not a good sign since I was supposed to bribe the workers to do great work with the donuts. Fortunately,there was a little time to much while waiting for the cement to swirl around a bit, thank goodness.

There were two concrete guys and my brother, my sister's boyfriend Aaron and Ben, a friend of his. I took a few before pictures then  holy buckets, the concrete started flowing.




 It's a funny thing, concrete. At first it seemed like it was flowing so fast and wheelbarrows were spilling everywhere. Then all of a sudden, we were filling things up and we were creating ways to slow things down.

I never intended to stay all day but when you're family you just throw everything else aside and do what you have to do. don't you? That's kind of what happened to me that day.

I ended up moving re-bar, keeping the ply-wood in all the right places for the wheelbarrows. I ran to the store for more parts, grabbed lunch for everyone, took more pictures and ended up a whole lot of dirty! And I wouldn't have missed it for anything.



I got to see my brother pushing concrete down the shoot like a little boy on the playground slide.


I saw Aaron  laughing with my Dad and brother becoming more a part of the family everyday.


 I saw my Dad, relishing in the moment of working alongside his youngest son, beaming with pride. And I saw my youngest brother relishing in the moment of working alongside his Dad, sharing the strengths and skills that he'd spent his lifetime learning from him.


I saw, what we already know but can use a reminder of every now and then- a good foundation, is a beautiful thing.


And I saw my Dad, proud of the creation he started that I was lucky enough to have helped with!





Monday, September 19, 2011

My Girls

I haven't posted here in so long, I just thought you might be interested in what they look like these days. :)