I watched him create and construct
many things but looking back I don't remember alot of actual
instruction from him. This might have contributed to what was
to be known as Axel's coop.
While it's true that I did drive
a 1932 Ford Model B coupe when I was old enough to take the
wheel, that's not the coop I'm talking about. Instead, this
referred to a particular construction project I was assigned.
We had a chicken coop that needed
a new roof. In fact, it needed the whole top of it rebuilt,
rafters and all. I was given the task of cutting the boards
that would be used for the A-line roof. It seemed simple enough.
I had the first "A" section cut and assembled and
I just needed to replicate that handiwork down the length of
the building.
The problem was that I started
with the first section that I cut and then proceeded to cut
and base each new section on the previously cut boards. Little
did I realize that this made the boards and assembled "A"
section a little longer every step of the way. By the time that
I mounted the last section to the end of the building and added
the roof over these rafters the pitch had a distinct rise from
one end of the coop to the other. I don't think the chickens
cared but to me it became a landmark and a daily reminder that
construction should probably include some planning and math.
I would later go to the University
of Nebraska and get my Civil Engineering degree so in the end
I did master the skill of measuring and building.
And who knows, maybe my coop contributed
more to my engineering curricula and career than I ever realized
