bye bye flagpole
There’s lots to do in the city to get ready for the big move so this week we whipped up to the house for a quick 24 hours to meet with the contractor and do a little maintenance and tidying.
M decided that the time had come for tackling his “white whale” project – taking down the flagpole. It’s been bugging him with its brazen rustiness and he wanted it gone.
Armed with WD40 and wrenches he set to it. Surprisingly the bolts gave way quite easily. He came in to get the hammer and I followed him back out to document the process.
Feeling confident.
All business.
It’s going well…
When I saw this expression on his face and his arms shaking I worried I was photographing his demise and yelled “D’you need some help?!!” but he was much too focused to hear me. (This is the picture that’s been cracking us up for days. But only because he was not crushed by the pole.)
Success in sight.
I’m still flirting with the idea of flying the Scottish flag (this one, or maybe this one) while M just wanted the flagpole gone so the compromise was to take it down and store it for possible future rehabilitation. The only space long enough was the 2nd floor of the barn which required some leverage,
and more help from me than it would appear from this picture.
All done.
I’m thinking a planter or some shrubs would be good where the base is. That’s if M doesn’t take it out with some dynamite while I’m not looking.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
lilies might be nice, or some lilacs.
Your house is beautiful! You are so lucky! Are you going to move up there? or are you keeping a pied a terre here in the city too?
August 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I smiled all the way through this. Michael’s expression is so like mine yesterday when I took my buffet apart and LIFTED the mirror section CAREFULLY and placed it on the tarp on the kitchen floor. Then I did the same with the bottom half, putting it with the legs straight up. No harm done here, either, to either the buffet pieces…or me. I KNEW you’d consider flying a Scottish flag. You could set up an interesting array of container plantings, using the concrete slab and the flag holder…somehow. 🙂 Everything is beautiful…house…lawn…barn…both of you!!
August 20th, 2008 at 10:11 am
“Today however, the flag is also used unofficially as a second national flag of Scotland (particularly at sporting events), and despite such use being illegal under the Act, the Lyon Court has never prosecuted offenders for flying the Standard unofficially.”
Fly both…the simply elegant blue/white AND the illegal one. 🙂
And if you want to, find the New York State flag and fly it, too. 🙂 http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flags/ny_flag.htm
August 20th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Oh wow! Your house is great! I second the notion of lilacs. That will be the first thing I put in when I have a yard to call my own.
I love the progression of your captions.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
What a great house and a great photo essay! I love imagining the dialog (or silence!).
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
Oh my. I’m all verklempt at the site of your amazingly beautiful new home, AWESOME barn and property abfab! …It’s so funny to live with someone and learn about the little things (or big things, I guess in the case of this heavy flagpole) that irk them. For Ryan, it’s dishes in the sink (which I’m notorious for) and awnings over windows (we have none, thankfully).
Which seed catalogs are your favorites?
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Your yard looks *great*! It’s soooooo dry over here these days all our yards are crunchy.
You two get 20,000 grown-up points for this blog (garden planning, garbage and recycling at the curb, home and tool ownership, humorous couple project….) You Rock! -Katy
August 24th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
i am speechless. wow . i think it is paradise.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
oh–you have a BARN!! i am so jealous–what a wonderful working space! the house is lovely, too–
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
hilarious! i’m going to get some flagpoles installed just so i can have them removed in this manner. quite amusing. the house is so pretty!
January 7th, 2009 at 3:03 am
Oh! I’m glad to see it came down easily……… and you’ve got a barn!! The house looks wonderful. How exciting.