Phil, that was very funny, I have done a little night work myself.  The 
biggest reason I hate to climb my tower is neighbors coming outside to 
watch.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 4:31 PM
Subject: Most Memorable Experiences


> Summers were too hot to climb on to the roof during the day time.
> So, naturally, since I didn't need the   light anyway, I would
> wait till the roof was cool enough to climb    on.  This was
> normally about midnight to 1 o'clock in the morning.     During
> summers, I spent most nights on the air until 4 and 5   o'clock
> each morning anyhow.  I had an 8 foot tripod with a TH3   junior
> tri band beam on the roof and my 80 and 40 meter dipoles   tied to
> the sides of the tripod as they crossed over the roof to a    tree
> right on the curb of the street in the front yard.  You use   what
> you got.  Yes, it was high enough not to clothes line some poor
> passerby.  Anyhow, I can't recall what was wrong but something
> was wrong with the coax to one antenna.  So, without my mother's
> awares, I pulled out the 6 foot step latter, stood it on top of
> the steps to the side door, and climbed the latter on to the roof.
>   You had to literally stand on the very top of the ladder, not
> on   the top rung mind you, but on the very top of the ladder just
> to   get to the hot roof.  I'm not very tall so it was more than a
> stretch.  Dad blamed right down dangerous now that I think of it
> but I was just a kid so what they hay.  It was still warm but not
>   hot.  Disconnecting the coax, I was sitting next to my tripod
> and    fiddling with the end of the RG8 coax.  Suddenly, it
> slipped out   of my hands and like a long slithering snake, slid
> off the roof   and on to the ground.  I had a few choice words I
> whispered, and   then I prayed that mom wouldn't hear what had
> happened.  Her   bedroom window was on the side of the house,
> wouldn't you know,   where the coax slid off.  You can't imagine
> how much noise RG8   coax makes sliding off a roof and landing in
> a big pile right   under somebody's window.  I was more worried
> about the neighbors   hearing it and complaining until I heard my
> mom's voice.  Mom   never went to bed before midnight and always
> watch Johnny Carson   before turning in.  She was watching her
> little TV in the bedroom    when the snake jumped off the roof.  I
> sat quietly, the heat of   the roof under my bottom, almost
> burning the hide right off my butt, and praying   nobody heard
> what I did, and then I heard mom's window slide    open, we had
> central air so that's why I figured she wouldn't have    heard me
> on the roof, and out the window, my mother yells,   "Philip?  Are
> you on that roof?"  "Yes, mother.  I'm on the   roof," I replied,
> but somewhat quieter than she was speaking.    "What are you doing
> up there this time of night?" she insisted.    "You get down from
> there right now.  Are you crazy?"  I said,   "Mother.  I. Am.
> Fixing My. Antennas."  I accented each word as if    this was
> really important and she shouldn't be asking me such   stupid
> questions in the middle of the night.  That's when she   said,
> "You get off that roof right now.  Are you crazy."  I sat up
> there and laughed to myself and later she thought it was funny,
> too, but my neighbors never thought it was funny when they saw me
>  climbing around on the roof of our house.  They always were
> calling mom and saying, Noreen?  Did you know your blind son is
> climbing around on the roof, or in the trees, again?"  That's
> another reason why I climbed at night instead of the day time.  By
> the way, from then on, when I went on the roof at night, I wrapped
> the coax around my leg, or waist, a couple of time in case I
> dropped the end I was working on.
>
> Phil.   K0NX