WDM, IA - Gary and the Flagpole

Up to Fort Dodge today. We’re leaving for Madison, WI on Thursday in our RV for an RV rally and wanted to get up to FD before then. If we don’t get my father-in-law’s lawn mown and trimmed today, it will be a jungle by the time we get back. He obviously can do and often does do his own lawn but, if we can do it for him in this heat, we’re happy campers. We packed all of our lawn equipment and extra clothes since the temps are predicted to reach 97 degrees.

We got there about 8:45 and chatted with Lug for a while then got ready to mow. We wanted to start early to miss the ‘best’ heat of the day. Mowing and trimming went as usual. Then Gary started in on a project of Lug’s, reworking a flagpole, which needed paint badly.

Originally, about 45 years ago, Lug put a cast iron pipe (pipe A) into concrete into the ground. Then he squeezed another cast iron pipe (pipe B) within this, jointed it to a final 20’ tall cast iron pipe (pipe C) and this was his flagpole. The joint was about 3’ off the ground. The tall Pipe C was losing paint badly so Lug wanted to put a white pvc pipe over the whole structure to cover it and then use this whole structure as his flagpole. Lug is a child of the depression and is thrifty, wanting to reuse whatever he has. He is also very thorough. While we appreciate this thrift (and have lots of it ourselves) and his thoroughness, sometimes we might buy something new.

This flagpole has been up for 45 years, out in the sun, snow, ice and winds, probably rusted, corroded and barely able to hold a waving flag.

Last week when we were in FD, we found Pipe C on the floor of the garage and Gary painstakenly drug out of his father the story that he was going to lay a ladder against Pipe C, climb it carrying an 20’ section of white pvc pipe, and place this pvc pipe on the tall pipe from the ladder. Have you got this picture? An spry 89-yr old man, at the top of a ladder leaning against a 1” diameter pipe with an18’ pvc pipe in his hands, sleeving this pvc onto the tall pipe against which he has the ladder leaned? Luckily, when he tried to pull the whole structure towards him a bit, it snapped at the joint and fell down on the lawn BEFORE he had put the ladder against it. Whew. Imagine that news story in the Fort Dodge Messenger: ’89-yr old man found on lawn surrounded by broken ladder, cast iron pipes and a white pvc pipe.’ (After visits to his father, Gary mumbles to himself a lot more. Should I be worried?)

Now, Lug wants to separate Pipe B from Pipe A and reuse Pipe A for the new flagpole. Gary wants to dig out the cement, Pipe C and Pipe B, toss them and start over. Mumble, mumble, mumble.

But they cannot pull Pipe B out of Pipe A without pulling the whole structure out of the gound (although they try mightily). Now the task is to get all this out of the ground, knowing that it is embedded in cement, which we thought was probably 2’ deep, knowing his father’s thoroughness. In fact, Gary had a bet with his father that it was at least 18”, Lug was betting 10”.

Digging out the dirt around the cement wasn’t hard. Gary had that done in 25 minutes. Lifting the cement out of the ground - hmmm. Luckily Lug had a car jack. Huh? A car jack? How will that ever get a huge cement blob with a pipe through it out of the ground, you ask? They wrapped an old chain around the pipe below some pvc pipe Lug had pile driven on, then to the tire jack. And here’s the picture. Pretty slick, it was. They just lifted it out with the merest pumping of the handle. Pretty clever.

Now the project is to sledge hammer the inside Pipe B out of the outside pipe A. If you’re having a hard time understanding this whole project, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. Gary and I were a bit stumped. Why not go out and buy a flagpole? Nope, too simple. (There’s that mumbling noise again.)

So here’s a picture of the two guys using a sledge hammer to beat the inner pipe out of the outer pipe. They sprayed Liquid Wrench on the inner pipe to try to make it more slippery. They they started beating on the inner pipe. And beat, and beat. Then they sprayed. Then they beat. Then they sprayed, then they beat.

Needless to say, Lug is now going to look for a flagpole and some cement at a local store. Gary is still mumbling and Nancy knew she had a good, but confusing, story for the blog. The pictures tell the story best.

Meanwhile, while Lug was making a lunch for us, Gary nosed around and - voila, found the next project, upon the roof. Gary’s not as smart as you think. He mumbles already and, now he’s found another project? I’d better get out my ear plugs. This is going to be a noisy trip back home to Des Moines.

We had lunch, sponged off, changed clothes and we’re off to visit my brother. For these trips to Fort Dodge, we always bring a complete change of clothes.

He used to compete in the local annual chili contest with a friend of his. They competed from 1995 - 1999 and won some fine trophies. I never got a picture of them so asked him to pose with the trophies Unfortunately, because his buddy recently died from cancer, his daughters gave Jack the two trophies he had in his house. Jack now has all 5 of them.

Finally the long drive home listening to CNN’s coverage of the debt default deal. I turned the radio up loud to mask the muttering.