Weather: low 60 degrees, high 73 degrees, mostly cloudy skies
Yesterday at work was one the most productive we've had for this outage. Today, it was a different story. Big projects like this depend on several cranes to handle big pieces of equipment. Outside the containment building is a huge crane that was used to remove the old reactor head from the containment building. It was out of service for most of the day, not getting repaired until late in the afternoon. Inside the containment building, two of the three cranes were out of service all day, and won't be back to work until early on night shift. We didn't stop all work, but were hampered by our inability to lift heavy loads. Our fingers are crossed that we don't have any more crane issues this outage.
My post a few days ago about the rudeness we encountered at a stop light in Charleston, South Carolina, generated a couple of comments that we may have been too hard on the city and the people there. That was not the intent, because we did meet good people there, and, overall, enjoyed the area. As I said in my responses, we enjoyed the remainder of our time there. The seafood was outstanding.
When we left Charleston, we eventually made our way to Columbia, which is the capitol of the state. The city is in the geographical center of the state, and was selected as the site for the capitol over Charleston and Greenville. We stayed in a nice park in Lexington, which is about 12 miles from the center of Columbia. Everything we needed was close by, including a grocery store across the street. In addition, there was a flea market about 300 feet away that was open on the weekends.
It was one of the best flea markets we have been to in our travels.
The terrain around Columbia is hilly, with different types of trees than what we had been seeing. The economy was booming, with all kinds of building going on everywhere. We took several trips around the area, including along Lake Murray, a 50,000-acre lake that was built to save water and control flooding. One day, I went into Columbia and took pictures of the state capitol building and many of the significant statues. The capitol building is a beautiful building, and the landscaping is outstanding. I saw a statue of the Confederate soldier that was erected in the 1800s, which is unusual, since many towns have chosen to remove that symbol of their past. What a shame that people are being so politically correct that they don’t want to remember a part of our past that was so important to the building of our nation. There were also tributes to the soldiers that served in our wars, as well as law enforcement officers who had been killed in the line of duty, and even a tribute to the women of the Confederacy, erected by the men of the Confederacy.
Now, before someone thinks I'm endorsing some of the causes of the Civil War, be aware that I think everyone should be free to make their own decisions and be owned by no one. I do appreciate the traditions of bravery and honor handed down by generations throughout our country that came before us. Our country's history is fascinating to me, and that includes southern history. After all, it took people all over our country to build what we have today.
Here's a pictures of the South Carolina Capitol Building. I get just as much of a kick out of seeing these grand buildings as I do of seeing an old courthouse.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Columbia, South Carolina: The Heart of South Carolina
Not all who wander are lost.
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