And here is the real reason for the lift... and the story to go along.
When we started building the house my mom wanted to get us a housewarming gift. She was thinking something major, not just a doormat. We didn't feel right about an appliance or something like that, we preferred something with some lasting sentiment. We finally settled on a finial for our turret roof and she agreed. Like me, she has some interest in architecture so this would be the perfect gift.
I did some checking and found
Denninger in Middletown NY. Al and Beth Denninger were some of the best small business people I have ever worked with but apologized from the beginning for the order lead time... 1 year! It turns out though, he can make a couple of a similar design together and he was scheduled to make one similar to ours sooner than that. Ordered last summer and late this winter a rather tall, but not at all heavy box arrives via UPS.
Now how to get the thing up there? I did some checking and also decided to wait for my mom to visit. It all came together last night. I got the lift, she showed up while I was putting up the brackets and we had about an hour of daylight.
So up I went! This time it's at least 40 feet up and almost 20 feet out. Wind is picking up and boy does that basket sway! I'm generally OK with heights but I think every muscle in my body was tensed for this little excercise. Fortunately, the finial itself only weighs about 10 pounds. Some silicone sealant, eight copper nails, two very sweaty palms and it's up. The crowd below applauds and I begin the descent back to terra firma. Not a bad feeling to be on the ground after that.
Then it's glasses raised as we toast the "crowning" of our new house /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif