After interior confinement for many months the time came today to work outside. The pre-fab shop, affectionately referred to as the Blow-a-way, is a aluminum framed tent 18ft high and shaped like a half pipe. During Winfly it provides a home for the Polies who are prepping for projects two months and nearly 800 miles away.
The morning hike to the shop always reminds me how bitter the wind can be. An extra layer is added to defend against it and soon tossed to the side as my body heats up from shoveling. The first half of the day is spent teetering between these two temperatures as my activity level and the windspeed fluctuates. After a massive mexican lunch all my blood has abandoned my skin for my stomach and the fingertips begin to chill.
As the first end wall goes up the mood of the group drops a notch. It is blowing hard and we are too close to a cup of hot chocolate to think about anything else. The last bar goes up and without direction everyone wraps up, grabs tools and heads inside.
Halfway through its assembly, it seems like whale ribs washed up behind the shop.
I remember why I like working outside.