Growing up with a Dad who could put together a broken muffler with a soda can and who could begin with an idea of a sun porch and embark on a yearlong adventure by building a porch with a cinder block and concrete foundation learning as he went has left a lasting impression on me.
With each wall that comes down and every header that is raised I cannot help to think about what my father would say. This week found us walking down memory lane while the demo team encountered the sea creature behind the wall -- The Octopus of Wakefield Drive.
Flashback 12 years ago. . .
As new home owners with little more than a hammer, screwdriver and determination to fix up our "new" house we ventured into the idea that we could save that much needed mortgage money by doing small projects ourselves. Sure we scraped wallpaper off of the walls and painted but that required very little skill to be passable. I am sure the gauges we left from over eager scraping and the not so neat trim that sports the drips and runs from a shaky paintbrush are noticeable they have no bearing on the structural soundness or the basic functioning of our house.
"Let's upgrade our electrical service . . ."
With a "what the hell are we doing" and more bravado than we should have we enter the electrifying world of Romex and Circuit Breakers. In the back of my mind the phrase written on every electrical item warning the person using it that under no certain circumstances should they open or touch the mystical contents or a fate worse than death or death itself may occur. So my brother the lineman with Peco helps by doing the extremely dangerous stuff as I shield my eyes as he handles the main feed to our house and installs the new 200 amp panel.
With our little screwdriver and hammer we discover that we do not have the proper tools to rewire the aging wiring in the house. But rather than driving to Home Depot and purchasing tools we venture to the tool emporium also known as my Father's basement. Dad had retired due to health concerns and was eager to lend a helping hand. As he maneuvered among the shelves and drawers he gathered items that at first seemed out of place to novices like Scott and I. Fishing tackle box. 30ft length of wire. The Wonderbar Crowbar. Flashlight. Pretty Red Electrical Tape. Hammer drill. Hole Drill. And the most important tool determination.
We headed back with Dad and the buffet of tools and sundries and began to find the house's sweet spot.
We are sure the original architect that designed these homes 60 years ago had some training in that our house is still standing but we certainly cannot understand the placement of the walls.
We started on the 2nd floor looking for a wall that would line up with a wall on the 1st floor in order to fish a line through. Dad began inconspicuously in the closet. Bang, Bang, Bang. The wonderbar punctured the wall inside the closet. Drill, Drill, Drill. These sounds were followed by a few four letter words and then a new spot was selected for the next Bang, Bang, Bang, Drill, Drill, Drill. Fearing that my home would end up like a plastered piece of Swiss cheese I prayed to the Patron Saint of Home Improvement. As my Father feed the wire with the lead fishing sinker into the wall Scott and I began to play Marco - Polo on the first floor as the sinker tapped from inside the ceiling as we walked from room to room listening for the little sound above our heads. We found the spot.
Imagine a little 3 inch hole that lines up from the 2nd. Floor to the 1st Floor and down to the basement. This little space would be where we would feed lines up to the 2nd Floor. Like trying to put on a pair of jeans that are too tight we pull and push 5 Romex Lines, 1 COAX, 1 Phone Line and 1 wire leader into the hole from Attic to Basement. This 8 line Octopus has been hidden in the wall for 10 years.
It has not been silent for 10 years as we always know it is there especially when watching the TBS channel in the bedroom. You see this 8 line Otcopus acts like a giant antenna. As planes approach Philadelphia International Airport and request from the tower runway clearance this info is broadcast on TBS. While watching Seinfeld reruns you may hear US Air Flight 543 requesting landing runway 27. Quickly looking up on the computer we find that the flight from Puerto Rico is landing on time.
Dad helped us greatly during our first few years as new homeowners not only with the work he performed (such as fixing the issue of the bedroom fan which would turn off if you turned on the bathroom light) but more importantly as a teacher helping us to problem solve the small stuff and knowing our limitations on the big stuff.
And if you find yourself asking what the significance of the red electrical tape.
Dad wanted us to know which outlets and switches he replaced in the house. Any outlet that when you remove the faceplate and examine the internal workings that has the red electrical tape was lovingly replaced by him.
While I miss my Father greatly and regret that he will not be able to see this addition in person I am thankful that I am reminded of the funny stories and trials and errors when the Octopus in the wall gets to see the light of day.
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