Lights, Lights, Lights

At Christmas there is a big light display at the JSBM.  They (this year we will) put up 180,000 lights.  Now we are taking down the lights.  It is quite a process.  They rent a big man-lift which goes up to

Getting our harnesses on for the training

70 ft.  We had to be trained in the lift.  I have been trained but I have yet to take down any lights.  Brent and Bill have been working for several days in the lift taking lights out of the tops of tall trees.  I, on the other hand sit day after day folding lights. Judy and I have to test them all and replace any burned out lights.  If you have ever worked with Christmas lights, you know how frustrating this can be.  Anyway, we visit and watch old movies to pass the time while we work.  It seems like it will never end.

Driving down to the parking lot for our training

Tim training Brent on how to run the lift.  You drive it from the bucket.

This is me in the bucket.  This is zoomed in, I am actually pretty high in the air

Me at the highest point, about 70 Ft.

Brent at the highest point

Sometimes they have to use a long poll to reach the lights and unwind them.

We passed the training and filled out the paper work and now we are ready to take down and put up lights.  I don't know if I will take down lights or not.  I will probably just check and put lights away.

Brent and Bill taking down lights by the residence.

They finished taking down the lights for Christmas 2012 on March 30.  Now it is time to get them checked and put away.

They bring the lights into the shop in these bins.

We have to plug them in and change any lights that are burned out and then fold them up and put them back into the bins and label the bins.  There are different colors and types of lights and we have to keep them separate.  Some of the lights have faded so I am told that after we get all of the lights tested and folded we have to color the lights with markers.  Sounds strange to me too, but I guess that's what we'll do if we are asked.

Judy doing lights across the table from me.  There are bins and bins of lights.