One of the fellows I worked with had quite a reputation.  Oh, but some of the tricks he used to play on co-workers just for laughs!  Our lunch boxes used to be metal.  The top of the box was rounded and just the right size to put in a thermos.  (You may have seen pictures of them at the Smithsonian.)

This guy had a hand large enough to span the two snap locks on the side of the box.  As we were walking along he would surreptitiously reach over and snap the two latches open at the same time.  Of course everything in your lunch box would spill out on the ground.  This served to do two things, other than make you mad.  It would cause your thermos to break.  And it would disclose any items in your box you were trying to steal.

Another trick he had was if your hard hat fell off, he would reach over into the wire lube can and slap a handful of wire gel into the inside of your hard hat.  You soon learned to watch for him if your hat became misplaced.  It was also a habit to check the inside of your hard hat before putting it on.

On one job a crew from another trade was on the job-site.  They were using a brand new roll of vinyl rope.  He asked them if he could have about 10 feet of rope.  When they said yes, he walked to the center of the rope and acted like he was going to cut his 10 feet out of the middle.

It was necessary to keep your eyes open and watch for his tricks.

He was a strong husky man and was very valuable when it came to lifting or pulling.  I suppose that is why he could get away with his stunts.  (I never did hear that he got shot or stabbed.)

There was another old-timer who knew all the tricks.  He had the habit of kicking a hard hat like a football, clear out of sight, if it fell off someone’s head when they were working.  Working with men like that made you very cautious.  When you opened your lunch box you never knew what you would find.

And finally another guy I worked with fixed up his lunch box to have hot meals on the job.  He attached a short electrical appliance cord and plug to a heating element from an old electric iron, put a metal plate over it, and installed it in his lunch box.  He would put his sandwiches and whatever on top of it.  He would plug the cord into a live outlet about 15 minutes before lunch time.

He would eat a hot meal while the rest of us ate cold sandwiches.  I have heard that someone has now invented a lunchbox that heats in the summer and cools in the summer.

I have never seen one.

Years ago I was working on a job at a college campus.  We were wiring an addition to the auditorium.  Part of the building was below ground on one side.  The part we were working on was about ground level.

There was one door that led off into the lower level, and the door to it was locked.  The door had a small window in it and someone had attached a dark cloth over the window on our side.  Of course my curiosity got the better of me.  I just had to see what was behind the door.  I wondered who it was that didn’t want what we were doing to be seen.

When I peeked in the window I saw some indoor tennis courts.  I wondered what the big deal was.  I didn’t think it was that out of the normal to have indoor tennis courts for use in bad weather.  Someone else must have had the same curiosity.

Construction workers have always had the reputation of being crude, rude, and even somewhat misogynistic.  I should have picked up on it when one of the guys was pretty insistent, saying; “Adrian, you ought o go look in that window.”

I replied; “I have.  It’s just some tennis courts.”

He said; “Yes, but go look now.”

I returned to the curtained window and on the other side were some college age girls playing tennis; in their skimpy tennis court attire.  Aha!  Now I knew what they were so captivated by.  I thought to myself that the curtain was on the wrong side of the door.

About the time I moved to the Spokane area changes had occurred in the traditional construction workforce.  More and more women were showing up on the job.  At first, most of the women on a construction crew weren’t sure how to assimilate.  As a result there were a few that just paraded around the job site and talked like they knew something about what was being done.  As time went by they began to realize they actually had to be workers, not just exhibitionists.

One of the best workers I ever came across was a woman.  She could out-work any man I ever worked with.  She had no ulterior motives, but was anxious to be a good electrician.

Times changed.

And that was a good thing.

One day I was working on a six story office building.  My job was on the deserted fourth floor.  I was up on a six foot ladder working on ceiling lighting.

I was intensely occupied with my job when I felt someone pulling on my pant leg.  Without looking down I asked; “What do you need?”

No answer.

I paused what I was doing and looked down.  There was no one in the room.  I thought someone was pulling a prank by pulling on my pants leg and immediately leaving the room.  After that thought I wondered why I didn’t hear whoever it was walking or running as they left the room.

I went back to my work.

Then it happened again.  I came off the ladder and went to checking out my surroundings very thoroughly.  I went into the hallway.

No one.

I checked the other offices.

No one.

I went back to my job, keeping my eyes halfway towards the door, watching out of the corners of my eyes.

Then my pants leg was shaking again.  I carefully searched the room again.  AHA!

I realized a couple of windows had been left open due to the hot summer day.  Short breezes would come in and shake my pants leg.

I closed the windows and the Phenomenon stopped.

Thank goodness I wasn’t losing my mind.

However that wasn’t the last of the curious things that happened to me while I was working on that building.

Those instances can be the foundation for at least a couple more stories.