Lizard Hollow Observatory Construction Journal
December, 1999:

December 5, 1999 - "But it can't be CLEAR!!":    The best laid plans, etc.    A longer-than-expected trip to Los Angeles to help clear up the musical affairs of a very good friend and fellow composer (my other avocation) and a not-completely-unexpected bit of surgery on my upper teeth have considerably delayed the start of construction.    Meanwhile, Tucson is experiencing its usual Winter clear, dry weather and, with my usual good fortune, I had just dismantled the telescope tripod when I read of the December 1 discovery of the naked-eye nova, Nova Aquilae 1999.    My feeling is similar to that of the poor fool who complains that their checking account cannot be overdrawn because they still have checks:  "It can't be clear, I don't have a telescope!"

December 10, 1999 - The Plan's Afoot:    Ted completed the detailed drawings for the building and also the "take-off list" of parts and pieces.     An estimate of the cost for parts alone comes to about $750.00, about what I expected.    Here are links to the five detailed building drawings (better viewed at 800x600):

Observatory Plan View       Observatory Elevation View         N/S Ends Detail View        Westside Detail View        Roof Posts Detail View
Plan View                            Elevation View                N/S Ends Details           Westside Detail            Roof Posts Detail


December 15, 1999 - "Our Middle Name is...":     "...Delay!!"  And our first name, and our middle name, etc.  This is my day to complain:  the delays in this project are adding up to extreme frustration.    The most recent rash of delays come from my own health problems - nothing serious, just time consuming and uncomfortable - and the press of the Holidays.    Adding to that, has been a high incidence of human unreliability - i.e., in this case, unreturned phone calls, giving rise to the question, "Don't these people want work!?"    Leaving message after message that is ignored becomes very tedious very quickly.    The result is that you don't know if tradesmen are not returning the call because they're busy and haven't gotten around to you yet, will never get around to you, or if they just don't give a damn and are truly unreliable.    (In the six years we've lived here, this has been one of two ongoing problems with tradesmen; the other has been in finding tradesmen who do quality work.)


December 20, 1999 - Discussions and Progress:    At long last, we connected with one tradesman, one whose talent and opinion are highly valued, but who is notoriously unable to return telephone calls.    After a lengthy discussion about construction and design issues, we finalized the design and began searching for fabricators to construct the shed's metal frame and erect it on-site.


December 23, 1999 - Some Results:    I contacted several metal fabricator/erector firms, ranging from one-man shops up to large firms.     The same problems of unreturned phone calls and out-and-out lies (The line "I'll call you tomorrow with that information", means "Hasta La Manana, Baby!  Find another sucker!") were encountered.    A couple of the larger firms would not be able to begin construction until, in the earliest case, March.

But finally, today - mirabile dictu! -  a project manager with a near-by, fairly large firm came out to look at the site and drawings and agreed to make a proposal, with the understanding that they would not be able to start construction before mid-February.     My relief was palpable, but I think the guy smells $$.    If so, he be dead wrong and we have a failure to do business.    We'll see what their proposal comes back with....


December 30, 1999 - A Budget Buster:    As I suspected, the proposal to build and erect the metal frame for the shed came back at an unacceptable level: $3600.     Asked to bid on only the roof portion of the project, the bid was $1800, also unacceptable.    After desperate discussions with the architect, I decide that climatic heat or no climatic heat, termites or no termites, this thing is going to be made of wood.    Back to the drawing board...    Stay tuned for further developments in this saga of disappointment and set-backs.    I intend to forget all about this project until after New Year's, but I have reached one conclusion:  I will build this myself rather than endure more out-of-reach prices, delays, and broken promises from tradesmen.

 

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