Our days before departure from Rose Blanche were counting down, but we were making progress on the plan for a new window pane in the tower.
One of the things we had done the day before was to make a pattern of the window pane out of cardboard. When I tried to fit it in place, the wind was blowing it around so I couldn't control it. There was a good chance it would get away and head for the sea. I dug deep and came up with the idea to cut a hand hole in the center so I could hang on to it.
The idea of not having new aluminum strips to hold the window pane in place was still wearing on me. I woke in the middle of the night and decided to abandon the idea of using aluminum because the strips would just corrode anyway. I needed to come up with another material we could use not only on this repair but for future repairs as well. I laid there in the dark thinking that strips should be made out of very durable plastic like the windows themselves. Unfortunately though, we didn't have enough plexiglass, then out of the darkness came the idea to cut some strips from a piece of black plastic sewer pipe instead.
Immediately, my Dad came to mind. I often called him a master-of-simple-solutions. He could dream outside the box and come up with fantastic ideas. Many of the stories I hear of Newfoundlanders' creativity tells me they were cut from the same cloth. My Dad passed away a few years ago at 94, but without doubt, he saw the problems we had in the Lighthouse tower and was giving me ideas.
The next problem that was bothering me was how to get the new window pane in place with gusty winds. I couldn't put a hand hole in it like I had for the cardboard pattern. Out of nowhere, the idea came to me to put a handle on the inside of the pane and then just remove it after the pane was fastened in place. There would be 2 small screw holes but they could be filled with silicone.
When I got up Sunday morning, the sky was perfectly clear, the forecast was for moderate winds of 25 kph with gusts to 35. I had all the ideas I needed and told Marlene, if the window pane fits, we were going to get it in. I don't like working on Sunday, but this didn't feel like work and it was the perfect October day. I went over to the Lighthouse and fit the pane into place, tested the fit of the new plastic strips, and got ready for the final assembly after lunch.
Phyllis showed up to check on progress and offered to help in the afternoon.
We met in the parking lot about 1:00 o'clock, and got the large safety rope, harness and other tools up the tower. In no time, we had the safety rope around the tower and my harness fitting snuggly. Walking around the outside of the cupola with the safety system was a pleasure. I felt totally safe. I could work with both hands and had the window secured and siliconed within the hour. From there, I moved on to better secure another couple of window panes. For those that have never been to Newfoundland in October, the weather can change every five minutes, but on that day, the sun and light winds held all afternoon.
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Note, the corroded aluminum strip on the left side of the new pane and the new black plastic one on the right |
There was one hiccup however, before installation, when comparing the new plexiglass pane to that of the porthole door, it was only half as thick. Without doubt, the porthole door and the missing window pane would have been the same thickness. Remember the temporary handle I had to put on the new pane, well, it had to stay in place so we could leave it fastened from the inside. We also reinforced the pane with a rib. As you can see, the new pane is not pretty, but we are confident it will keep out the rain, snow and sleet driven by the north Atlantic winds this winter.
We learned a lot about the condition of the tower windows and are developing thoughts for a more permanent solution to serve the lighthouse for the next 20 years. Stay tuned.
Kudos - thank you to all who helped in even the smallest way. I could not have made this happen without your help. I didn't expect my Dad to be along, but in the end, that turned out to be only one of my many pleasant surprises. My Dad, Marlene and I were honoured to help repair the lighthouse window. We were honoured to help make sure the diamond in the crown of Rose Blanche was ready to withstand the winter ahead.