it was the summer of 1961. I would turn 9 in late August. An engineering firm from Austin, Marvin Turner Engineers sent my dad down as the Chief Inspector for a project to upgrade the water and sewer systems for the City of Woodsboro. There were pipes being laid all over town, the wastewater plant was upgraded and the water tower was being sandblasted and repainted.

Our family, well my mother, brother and I went down to spend the summer with him as it was a very active time and required him to be there all the time.

While all the work was interesting to me, nothing captured my interest like the work going on at the water tower.

Below is a picture of that water tower, off in the distance behind a store as it looks today. The next couple of photos are just random pictures showing examples of the method used to paint that structure. For an almost 9 year old, it was hard to watch, as it looked so dangerous, but even harder not to stare up for hours in amazement.
Those little wooden seats and ropes dangling, just looked like someone would have to give up his life to paint that tank. But I don’t remember any accidents happening that summer.

More than 6 decades later I still remember watching all that like it was yesterday.

Of course there are so many new ways of doing things and this being one of them:

http://www.urakami.co.jp/en/05/11.html