these guys are pretty awesome

these guys are unsung heroes, of a sort. they fix power poles when people run into them; they replace power lines when a tree or extreme weather bring them down; and they do it under pressure since people's power is out while they are doing their work (mostly).
here's a couple photos showing their job in Farmington today. i was a bit worried for them when they were trying to position the replacement pole -- it looked like playing pick-up sticks (anyone?) using a sewing needle, with wooden mittens on. i would have like to have seen the end, when they were going to transfer the power lines and conductors to the replacement pole, but i had to leave.




Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times
Farmington Electric Utility System line worker David Elder helps guide a new power pole into position Sunday to replace the one broken at the corner of 20th Street and Hutton Avenue. James Ellsaesser, line foreman for Farmington Electric, said a half-ton Chevy pickup truck hit the power pole at around 11:30 a.m., causing a small power outage for a few hours. Police dispatch stated no one was injured in the one-vehicle accident.