Ravens

A short post this time.

I like to watch the ravens that frequent the jobsites...they are probably the smartest bird we have...I remember once when I was just a little catskinner I was operating a D7G In the winter, no cab, but if it was tarped in with the fan on suck and working hard it would boil you alive. Anyway...I was so thirsty and I only had 2 small drinking boxes of grape juice. They were also boiling so I thought it would be a good idea to bury them in a snowbank and come back for them later on. Around 3:00pm I returned and found a beak sized hole in each and all the juice sucked out. WTF! That dirty Sh&t hawk! The raven had come back and taken my badly needed juice....I ended up having to suck snow.

My Grader Life

An Internet friend (coalsmoke) asked me what I liked about running equipment and the grader in particular, I had to think about it a little bit, do what you love and love what you do sums it up for me. All you equipment operators out there know that there is sometimes a bit of ego and a lot of pride that comes along with the profession....and I am no exception, so here is an edited version of the note I sent back to him:

Well "S" the grader thing and me go back a long way....I have run the other stuff and am a fair hand at dozer and scraper although due to my size I will never be good at hoe, I just can't run the pedals and the joysticks safely at the same time without my legs being in the way. I was taught the grader by an uncle who was in my opinion one of the best. Its more than the clowns on highways do with them ( bunch of blade draggers ) For me its about straight tracks and perfection, I used to level locations just by feel and would get mad when someone brought out the transit or laser, don't know if i will get that good again......There is just so much the grader can do....If it doesn't roll or get stuck it should be able to do it....the fun is taking the machine to the absolute limit and getting a little scared....besides my tracks are usually the finished product and there is no better bragging rights than taking down a slope better than the dozer or even the hoe (And not leaving even a single tire track on a 100ft slope) At one time I was going to buy one. I am back in AB doing the supervision thing, hope to get some time in and bank some money for taxes, if it wasn't for that I really do think I would say F&ck the oil companies and just go back to working for a wage.....

Back in Alberia

Well for being in a recession, its been a busy month. Made a trip or two to Alberta, once to survey a new location and just yesterday I came back to start a a new location construction near Edson. The rest of the time,since the 4th of January, I have been in the seat of a grader for a great outfit out of Ft st John BC. Spent almost 3 weeks on a large Tailsman Energy road job at Farrel Creek, I have rarely seen a project on the scale of what they are doing. Good thing it was out in the boondocks or the NIMBY's would be out in force.

I know its been a while between posts, just a little busy.

Some of the Talisman job, this is 40,000m3 water pit that will be used for fracing....its just one of several.